COVID-19 and Kakao Data
Kakao COVID-19 Report, Part 1
The unforeseeable future.
Completely oblivious to what lies ahead.
The entire world is in the midst of a global pandemic. and we are no longer able to live life they did before.
COVID-19 has penetrated deeply into our lives, and all so abruptly. In the face of this unprecedented crisis, we maintain our social wellness by embracing ‘digital’ elements.
With the aim to foster to a better world, Kakao strives to make meaningful connections for individuals, societies and beyond. Amidst the pandemic, we continue our endeavors to keep our society “on-tact”.
We join collective efforts to understand and address the daily challenges posed by COVID-19 by analyzing the data from our services. We present our research and findings here, in the Kakao COVID-19 Report.
Purposes of the Kakao COVID-19 Report
-To understand the impact of COVID-19 on our daily lives.
-To share data that support people in taking steps to address risks and challenges.
Goals of the Kakao COVID-19 Report
The two goals of the Kakao COVID-19 Report are as follows: First, with data from Kakao services that are used on the daily, we identify the changes in our lives due to COVID-19. Second, we examine the “new normal,” so that our findings may contribute in developing future plans that effectively respond to risks and challenges.
Data Analysis and Methodology
- The Kakao COVID-19 Report analyzes data retrieved from multiple Kakao community and lifestyle services, including Kakao Talk , news, search, media∙content, mobility, e-commerce, fintech, artificial intelligence and social impact.
- Methodology: The data are presented in the form of a graph to show proportional data or percentages (%), in order to illustrate the changes that occurred before and after COVID-19. The data were retrieved from (either the first week or the entire month of) January to June 2020 and for some analyses, to September 2020. Some data were excluded.
- Example: The graph below shows that the number of users increased by 50% on the fourth week of April, compared to the number of users in the first week of January 2020. On the y-axis, values above zero (0) represent an increase in frequency, whereas values below zero (0) represent a decrease in frequency.
Part 1 contains an overview of the Kakao COVID-19 Report.
With the onset of COVID-19, Korea is experiencing unprecedented social changes such as remote work and online education.
“Contactless” has become the norm in our everyday lives, transforming the ways in which individuals and our society communicate.
# Increase in digital communication
People now communicate more through digital platforms, since offline communication has become less feasible. In late June, the number of messages sent through Kakao Talk increased by approximately 30%, compared to early January. The volume of messages exchanged through Kakao Talk increased greatly when the social distancing guideline in the Seoul metropolitan area was raised to Level 2 on August 16, and the upward trend has continued to this day. The number of Kakao Talk messages sent in the second week of September, when the social distancing guideline was raised again to Level 2, the number of Kakao Talk messages sent further increased by around 10% compared to the second week of August.
[Figure 1] Kakao Talk message exchange (Weekly, Jan. 1, 2020 to Sep. 13, 2020)# Diversified digital communication channels
Communication channels and methods have also been diversified. Digital communication using Voice Calls and Open Chats has also increased. Public digital communication tools, such as Open Chats, is being used for more than simple daily communication. These tools are now used to acquire information.
For example, Open Chats have been used to exchange information about COVID-19 on a regional and global scale. For instance, a cartographer who mapped the spread of coronavirus ran an Open Chat room that provided information to foreigners living in Korea and abroad. An elementary school in Gyeonggi-do, a province in South Korea, used an Open Chat room to communicate with students and parents. A local government in Seoul held a town hall using Open Chats. Open Chats are also widely used for various subjects, including the arts, culture and home entertainment.
[Figure 2] Open Chat exchange (Weekly, Jan. 1, 2020 to Jun. 30, 2020)# Increase in multimedia communication
Social distancing and other contactless practices have now become the social norm. This has created major changes in the way we communicate. Personal communication, or one-on-one communication, has now expanded to communication with the masses.
While in the past, communication mostly happened through text, we now see an increase in communication using multimedia. Since February which was when a super-spreading incident occurred in South Korea, users spent 40% more time communicating through Voice Call than compared to a year ago.
[Figure 3] Kakao Talk Voice Call time and users (Weekly, Jan. 1, 2020 to Jun. 30, 2020)# Optimized digital tools to fit users’ needs
In order to respond immediately to times of crisis, digital tools such as messengers, map services and smart assistants, were optimized to acquire accurate information quickly.
Let’s look at the Korean government’s face mask rationing system as an example. In March, when South Korea was experiencing the first wave of COVID-19, the top priority in every household and company was to “secure plenty of masks”. Aligning with the South Korean government’s face mask rationing policy, Kakao Map introduced a service on March 10 that provided information on where face masks were sold, as well as the stocks of each provider.
As soon as the feature was launched, the number of users who searched “rationed face masks” in Kakao Map exploded.
[Reference: Kakao and Kakao Mobility, as introduced in Private Sector Companies in the Fight Against COVID-19 Report by the International Transport Forum (ITF), OECD.]
[Figure 4] Search input for “rationed face masks” in Kakao Map (Jan. 1, 2020 to Jun. 30, 2020)# Smart use of digital tools while 'staying-at-home’
As more people refrained from venturing out of the home, the ‘stay-at-home’ lifestyle has become the new norm. Since people have no choice but to stay at home, they came up with many creative and entertaining ways to make the most of it, and these methods mostly involve the use of digital tools.
They have started to fill their newfound time at home with music, webtoons, web novels, movies, drama and social services (such as Kakao Brunch, Kakao Story, online cafes and blogs). More and more people, from all age groups, have started to enjoy online content that range from education to at-home workouts. The use of digital devices that utilize augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) has also increased as more users consume various contents at home.
[Figure 5] Usage made to Hey Kakao on education/childcare contents (Jan. 1, 2020 to Jun. 30, 2020)The use of AI assistants has greatly increased as more and more people stay at home and opt for a contactless lifestyle. The use of Hey Kakao, an AI speaker that includes Kakao's AI platform ‘Kakao i’, has increased due to these changes in peoples’ lives.
[Figure 6] Trend in active users of Hey Kakao (Weekly, Jan. 1, 2020 to Jun. 30, 2020)# Strong demand for bicycles during COVID-19
Less people are using public transportation during the COVID-19 pandemic, in order to reduce any contact with people they don't know. In short, they are trying to avoid public transportation, and this has resulted in an increased demand for bicycles.
Not only do bicycles minimize contact with strangers, but they are also a healthy form of leisure allowing release from the stuffiness of working from home. The increase in bicycle riders has led to an increased use of Kakao Map’s bike route service. Compared to the beginning of 2020, the number of users has increased by 81%, while the number of service use has increased by 181%.
[Figure 7] Users/service use of Kakao Map's bike service (Weekly, Jan. 1, 2020 to Jun. 30, 2020)# Showing how much you care, digitally
Offline correspondence has decreased drastically due to increased social distancing measures. Luckily, South Korea’s advanced distribution and delivery systems and stable e-commerce services have allowed us to procure our daily necessities and groceries with ease. However, this does not mean that we do not have anything to worry about. Since social distancing is encouraged, we can no longer meet people face-to-face and express our feelings.
Fortunately, we have been able to express our concerns and feelings through digital means. Monetary gifts that are given when someone dies, which is customary practice in Korea, are now sent through digital money transfer. Compared to the previous weekend, 166.5% more monetary wedding gifts were sent via Kakao Pay on the third weekend of August, which included August 23, the day the social distancing guideline was raised to Level 2. Because gatherings were limited to 50 people or less, those who were not able to attend the wedding sent their congratulations through Kakao Pay.
Transfer of monetary gifts to express condolences for deaths increased 35%, and overall transfer of money increased by 10%. We can now show how much we care through digital means.
[Figure 8] Changes of Kakao Pay Envelop services after social distancing were raised to Level 2Kakao aims for the results of the Kakao COVID-19 Report to serve as a resouce in overcoming times of crisis. We hope that the implications of our data analyses will be used in building wise and resilient strategies or policies to navigate uncertainties and explore new business opportunities.
All copyrights of the Kakao COVID-19 Report are reserved by Kakao Corp. Kakao Corp. strictly prohibits the use of the Kakao COVID-19 Report for promotional, sales, or marketing purposes. Kakao Corp authorizes the reproduction of the Kakao COVID-19 Report within the scope of the Copyright Act, provided that all copyrights are fully disclosed.
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