Webtoon: The Confluence of Platformization, Snack Culture, and the New Korean Wave
Abstract
more convenient access to information and provides different sensory experiences. Reading is
not an exception, as increased media affordances such as audiobooks and interactive ebooks
have diversified the reading experience. Webtoon, a newly emerged webcomic reading platform
that originated in South Korea, is one example of a new entertainment media platform. Webtoon
is specifically designed to be read on a smartphone and demands the user’s active engagement
through scrolling. Its format relies upon the user’s ability to read and understand text, pictures,
and occasional auditory input such as music or dramatic noises. Several studies have examined
webtoon’s cultural and artistic aspects, focusing on it as a transnational communication medium or
a kitschy, artistic medium.1 However, little research has been conducted to understand the influence
of the webtoon reading experience and, specifically, how that reading experience differentiates
from and expands upon book-based reading experiences.
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.5860/rusq.60.3.8427
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