Hey Kakao, Help Me!
Kakao COVID-19 Report, Part 8
The Kakao COVID-19 Report uses Kakao’s service data to give us a perspective on how we are trying to maintain our lives and create a new normal during the COVID-19 pandemic. Data from January to June 2020, from multiple Kakao community and lifestyle services, including Kakao Talk, news, search, media∙contents, mobility, healthcare, e-commerce, fintech, artificial intelligence and social impact, were analyzed to create the Kakao COVID-19 Report. Our findings on the new normal, as are detailed in the Kakao COVID-19 Report, will hopefully be used as reference when building new strategies and policies for the future.
Part 1 is about how our lives have changed since the outbreak of COVID-19, told with data from Kakao’s many services.
Part 2 provides a more in-depth analysis by focusing on media and content consumption.
Part 3 is an observation of changes in peoples’ lives at home, seen with e-commerce and healthcare service data.
Part 4 is about how people moved around during COVID-19, by looking at data from mobility services.
Part 5 uses data to show how mobility patterns have changed during our daily lives and while we travel during COVID-19.
Part 6 identifies peoples’ various social interests by analyzing search data
Part 7 takes a look at how interested people are in COVID-19 by analyzing data related to the coronavirus.
Research shows that COVID-19 has rapidly brought about major changes in our daily lives. This change signifies that life has become more ‘digitalized.’. Online transactions and contactless communication are encouraged in order to prevent COVID-19 transmission. With the spread of COVID-19 in our society, we have become more accustomed to placing orders through an automated kiosk rather than speaking to a waiter in person. We have also resorted to shopping online as it is a safer alternative.
As we start to live a more “digital” life, we have started to communicate more with services that use artificial intelligence (AI) technology. For example, AI chatbots are being widely used in daily operations of industries and education. In Part 8 of the Kakao COVID-19 Report, we will take a look at how people have communicated with AI during the COVID-19 pandemic by analyzing data from Kakao’s AI service, Hey Kakao.
#More Hey Kakao users due to the spread in COVID-19
This year, the number of Hey Kakao users rose in parallel with the spread of COVID-19. The number of users decreased temporarily at the end of January, during Lunar New Years, but increased alongside the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases. The number of users decreased again at the end of April, when COVID-19 seemed to stabilize, but then increased once more after May 8 when a cluster of COVID-19 cases was reported in Itaewon. The numbers dropped again when social distancing regulations were relaxed in June.
[Figure 1] Number of Hey Kakao users (Based on weekly utterances, Jan. 2020 to Jun. 2020)As the number of Hey Kakao users increased, so did the number of utterances (voice commands used to made a request through the Kakao Mini speaker) made to Hey Kakao. Compared to the first week of January, Hey Kakao service usage increased by 38% at the end of April. Increased usage was also observed when stricter social distancing policies were imposed at the end of February. Hey Kakao usage recorded a steady increase by over 20%, compared to that of early January 2020, then decreased to 10% after the second week of June.
[Figure 2] Hey Kakao utterance volume (Based on weekly utterances, Jan. 2020 to Jun. 2020)#Increase in demand for education/parenting content in weekdays
One of the biggest changes to occur due to COVID-19 is people's increased interest in education and parenting. During COVID-19, individual (each person’s) usage of Hey Kakao to find information on education and parenting showed an upward trend within 10% compared to early January. (Refer to Figure 3)
[Figure 3] Voice commands to search education/parenting made by individuals on Hey KakaoThe per capita demand for content on education/parenting content on Hey Kakao did not fluctuat by a large percentage. However, the total number of utterances made increased due to the rise in the total number of users. The number of users and utterances increased by 24% and 38% respectively when the case of the super-spreading Patient 31 was detected in the fourth week of February and continued to increase.
[Figure 4] Users/utterances of/in Hey Kakao to find education/parenting contentWe observed an increased demand for education/parenting content in March and compared the usage of Hey Kakao on the weekdays to its usage on the weekends. While the total number of Hey Kakao users were similar during the weekdays and the weekends, the number of utterances made per person was greater during the weekdays (Refer to Figure 5). The overall number of utterances made was also greater on the weekdays.
[Figure 5] Usage of Hey Kakao education/parenting content during the weekdays/weekend#"Hey Kakao, help me exercise"
As the pandemic continues and people spend more time at home, at-home workouts have gained more popularity. The number of utterances made to Hey Kakao for home workout content have increased during COVID-19. Overall usage of at-home workout content increased by around 50% during the last week of April.
[Figure 6] User/utterances of at-home workout content on Hey Kakao (Jan. 2020 to Jun. 2020)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∙contents, 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.
Kakao COVID-19 Report
Part 1: COVID-19 and Kakao Data
Part 4: Traffic Jams during COVID-19
Part 5: Tory Stores over Theme Parks
Part 6: More Searches for Pharmacies
Part 7: Knowing the Facts on COVID-19
Kakao 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 Corporation. Kakao Corporation strictly prohibits the use of the Kakao COVID-19 Report for promotional, sales, or marketing purposes. Kakao Corporation authorizes the reproduction and use of the Kakao COVID-19 Report within the scope of the Copyright Act, provided that all copyrights are fully disclosed.
Click below buttons to download PDF version of the Kakao COVID-19 Report.
