Expert Consultations, Worship, and Lectures... The Spread of COVID-19 Driven 'Untact Culture'

[Asia Economy Reporter Bu Aeri] Due to the impact of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19), usage of Naver's online expert consultation service 'Knowledge iN Expert' and KakaoTV live broadcasts has surged. This is attributed to the spread of the 'Untact (non-face-to-face) culture,' where people receive expert consultations, worship services, and lectures online as social distancing becomes established.

According to Naver on the 30th, the average daily number of consultations on 'Knowledge iN Expert,' which provides real-time online chat consultations with experts in various fields, increased by 79.5% in March compared to February. As face-to-face activities became difficult due to COVID-19, the demand for expert knowledge surged. Knowledge iN Expert is a service where users pay around 10,000 to 50,000 KRW to receive one-on-one consultations with experts via real-time online chat. Currently, advice is available in a total of 13 fields, including accounting/audit, labor, fortune-telling, fitness, and mental counseling.

Recently, due to COVID-19, consultations in the 'mental counseling' and 'fitness' fields have gained popularity. The number of mental counseling consultations in March increased by 61% compared to the previous month, and fitness consultations increased by 55%. Han Geun-young, a clinical psychologist active on Knowledge iN Expert, said, "The number of people feeling depressed due to COVID-19 has increased," adding, "Non-face-to-face consultations significantly reduce the risk of infection and can immediately help those in need."

KakaoTalk, which has 44.85 million monthly domestic users, is also at the center of the Untact culture. Meetings and social gatherings that were previously held offline are now being replaced through KakaoTalk. Office worker Park Jong-min (30) attended a gathering with friends last weekend via KakaoTalk's video call feature, FaceTalk. Park said, "Due to COVID-19, gathering in groups felt burdensome, so I came up with this solution, and it was not as difficult to have a conversation as I thought."

For large-scale events such as religious services and lectures where many people must gather, 'KakaoTV Live' is being utilized. The number of live broadcasts on KakaoTV has increased by about 40% since the spread of COVID-19. A Kakao representative explained, "Due to ongoing social distancing caused by COVID-19, new usage patterns such as church worship services and online lectures (education) are becoming active," adding, "Analysis shows that live broadcasts are more frequently used on weekends."