Releasing Anger Anonymously... 'KakaoTalk Anger Rooms' Where Strangers Vent and Relieve Frustration

"KakaoTalk! KakaoTalk!" At 2 a.m. on the 1st, the KakaoTalk notification sound kept ringing. More than 100 people were connected late into the night in the KakaoTalk open chat room called 'Bunno-bang' (Anger Room). In the chat room, various conversations took place such as "I was cursed at by a difficult customer," "My boss is abusing power," and "I've gained weight but can't diet." Although the topics were different, the common point was that everyone was angry. This is a so-called 'Bunno-bang' that anyone can join.

Several anonymous users in the KakaoTalk Anger Room are sharing their struggles with loneliness, marriage, and relationships. / Screenshot from KakaoTalk 'Anger Room'

This Bunno-bang is a chat room where more than 100 people gather solely to express anger. There are rules for expressing anger. The nickname must be unified as 'Hwanan-saram' (Angry Person) to maintain anonymity. Absolutely no half-hearted advice or scolding is allowed to prevent fights among the Bunno-bang members. In fact, the people in the Bunno-bang express anger under the unified nickname but do not use harsh words against each other.

Modern people who are angry but have nowhere to vent are turning to such Bunno-bang. As of the 5th, searching 'Bunno' (Anger) in KakaoTalk open chat rooms shows that more than 30 chat rooms have been created solely for releasing anger. The topics of anger are not limited. They range from difficult customers met at work, sweaty coworkers, to mornings that are hard to wake up to.

Among these, frequently repeated and serious topics are 'family,' 'inequality,' and 'loneliness.' On this day, when one 'Hwanan-saram' said, "My family went out to eat without telling me," others shared their experiences such as "My parents once bought meat only for my older sister," and "I was hit by my father." They also complained about the unequal reality, saying, "If I had been born in a good place, I wouldn't have had to live a hard life," and "Being wealthy doesn't guarantee happiness, but it's hard to be harmonious when poor."

Ms. Lee (36, female) also came to the Bunno-bang for similar reasons. What angers Ms. Lee the most is her family. Since childhood, whenever there was conflict with her biological older brother, her parents sided with him, saying that the man comes first. From then on, Ms. Lee gave up on communicating with her parents. However, she felt hesitant to tell others about this. The Bunno-bang she first encountered in August was a place where she could vent anger without being hurt by others. Ms. Lee said, "People around me may not want to hear uncomfortable stories right away," and "Because I have memories of people being hurt by my words, I came to the Bunno-bang to release my anger."

Several anonymous people are comforting each other in the KakaoTalk anger chatroom. / Screenshot of KakaoTalk 'Anger Chatroom'

Users of the Bunno-bang say that such conversations help with psychological stability. Ms. Lee said, "Often, people in the Bunno-bang do not respond, but that's okay," and "It's like shouting your worries into a bamboo forest." She added, "I think the people in the Bunno-bang are the lesser evil," and "If I don't communicate and release my anger like this, I might want to go on a violent rampage."

Experts also focused on the positive aspects of anger chat rooms. Professor Im Myeong-ho of Dankook University's Department of Psychology said, "Showing stress to someone you meet in an anonymous space like a travel destination provides psychological comfort," and "Although it may not solve the fundamental problems of anger, the very fact that someone is listening to me can have an effect."