KakaoTalk Outage... 'Phono Sapiens' Evolution Paused, Even Digital Detox

KakaoTalk Freezes, Forcing Digital Detox
Office Workers Say "A Holiday-Like Day Off... A Sense of Liberation"

The KakaoTalk outage that occurred on the 15th last weekend paradoxically created a forced digital detox situation. Although there were many inconveniences among citizens, there were also positive evaluations such as "I had a proper weekend." Photo by Asia Economy

[Asia Economy Reporter Han Seung-gon] "It was uncomfortable but good. I have mixed feelings." (laughs)

Last weekend on the 15th, KakaoTalk, known as the national messenger, went down due to a fire and other reasons, causing the hyper-connected society to come to a temporary halt. The familiar "Kkatok!" sound, easily heard not only at workplaces but also in cafes and public transportation like buses, disappeared in an instant. Some even commented that the hyper-connected society had turned into a hyper-disconnected society. The service disruption was partially restored about 10 hours after the incident occurred.

While some complained about not being able to use KakaoTalk's additional services, such as being unable to catch taxis, others joked that it was a kind of forced digital detox.

'Digital detox' is a compound word of digital and detox, meaning taking a break from digital devices like mobile phones, the internet, and message notifications. During this process, people cool their minds and heal their body and mind by appreciating the real sky and scenery instead of the graphic nature on their smartphones.

Some viewed this as a temporary pause in the evolution of 'Phono Sapiens,' a compound word of 'Phono' (phone) meaning mobile phone and 'Sapiens' meaning thought and intelligence. This is one of the scenes created by the KakaoTalk outage.

First used in 2015 by the British economic weekly , this term implies that in the 21st century, humanity has defined itself as 'smartphone-using humans,' similar to Homo Faber (tool-using humans) or Homo Ludens (playing humans). However, due to the KakaoTalk outage, the daily real-time evolving 'Phono Sapiens' also took a break and rested for a while.

"Just a simple call... I liked not having to worry about KakaoTalk"

Park, a self-employed person in his 40s who works in sales commuting between Gyeonggi and Seoul, said, "I usually place orders and hold meetings through KakaoTalk, but when KakaoTalk stopped, I worked by phone calls." He added, "Usually, work-related messages flood in through KakaoTalk, but I only said what I needed to over the phone and could focus less on my phone, which was nice."

Kim, a 30-something office worker, said, "Since it was the weekend, there was no work talk, but I spent a lot of time waiting, wondering if a boss might send a KakaoTalk message." He continued, "However, since KakaoTalk completely went down, I think I had a proper rest for the first time in a while." It was a kind of digital detox.

The KakaoTalk outage incident ironically forced a digital detox situation. Not only the MZ generation but also people in their 40s, 50s, and 60s, who check KakaoTalk, various messengers, Twitter, Facebook, and more every few minutes, feeling the digital flood with their whole bodies, experienced a temporary halt in their digitally formed social interactions due to the KakaoTalk outage.

The presence of digital devices like KakaoTalk services, which have quietly permeated daily life, can make people unknowingly dependent on them. This situation can be easily confirmed through statistical surveys.

According to the '2021 Smartphone Overdependence Survey' released by the Ministry of Science and ICT and the National Information Society Agency, 24.2% of smartphone users aged 3 to 69 in 10,000 households in Korea are at risk of smartphone overdependence. This is a 5.6 percentage point increase from 18.6% in 2017, interpreted as a rise in smartphone dependence due to active non-face-to-face communication amid COVID-19.

This dependence on digital devices can also cause stress. A survey conducted by the employment platform JobKorea in September last year targeting 440 office workers found that 63.9% of respondents, more than half, experienced stress due to 'digital overload.' This is thought to be because they have to pay more attention to messengers and the like due to the normalization of 'non-face-to-face' communication. Accordingly, 3 out of 10 people reported having practiced 'digital detox.'

Although the KakaoTalk outage led to evaluations of digital detox, some citizens expressed feelings of anxiety.

Some felt anxiety from the KakaoTalk outage... 'Nomophobia'

On the other hand, some people felt depression and anxiety beyond mere inconvenience due to the forced digital detox situation. This is a kind of withdrawal symptom caused by stopping the use of digital devices. Korea is one of the countries with the highest smartphone usage worldwide. According to the app analytics company 'Data.ai,' in the first quarter of this year, Koreans' average smartphone usage time was 5.2 hours, ranking third after Indonesia (5.7 hours) and Brazil (5.5 hours). Usage time increased by 10.6% compared to 4.7 hours in the first quarter of 2019. This explains why some people expressed anxiety due to the KakaoTalk outage. It can also be seen as a 'Nomophobia' phenomenon.

In the New York Times bestseller 'Digital Minimalism' (May 2019/Sejong Books), author Cal Newport warned about digital addiction, saying, "Solitude is essential for human happiness," and "Clicking on stimulating headlines or interesting links is like pulling the lever of a slot machine."

Experts recommend limiting the use of smartphones and digital devices as an effective way to practice digital detox. For example, putting the smartphone in a bag or leaving it at home for a day when going out are ways to do digital detox. Also, if one lacks the willpower to practice it, they suggest using applications (apps) that help block device usage for a certain period.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.