The thrill of South Korea’s ‘dopamine apps’

{"text":[[{"start":6.04,"text":"For young, budget-conscious South Koreans, the excitement of online shopping no longer demands that they open their wallets. “Dopamine sites” — fake shopping and food delivery platforms — now recreate the ritual of buying something without any actual payment or delivery involved."}],[{"start":22.96,"text":"Before trying faux food delivery app FoodNeverArrives, I assumed this latest internet craze was just a gimmick. But the experience felt unexpectedly convincing. Like a real delivery app, it lets users browse menus, read reviews, fill a cart, enter an address, place an order and even track a virtual courier. The catch is that nothing ever arrives and no money changes hands. Instead, the app tells users how many calories they’ve “saved” by not putting through a real order."}],[{"start":54.04,"text":"Developer Park Seo-hyun, a 21-year-old university student, says the idea came to her after she found herself opening and closing food delivery apps late at night. Her addiction to ordering takeaway, she says, took her delivery bill over Won1mn (about $680) in a single month."}],[{"start":71.64,"text":"“In many cases, all I really wanted was the feeling of placing an order,” she says. “Once I satisfied that urge, it didn’t matter if the food never actually arrived.”"}],[{"start":81,"text":"So long as you’re not too hungry, she is right. There is something oddly satisfying about browsing photos of fried chicken, pizza and sushi and placing an order without worrying about the bill."}],[{"start":91.48,"text":"Jeon Dahyen, co-author of the bestselling Trend Korea series, compares dopamine apps to mukbang, in which viewers experience food vicariously by watching other people eat elaborate meals online rather than consuming anything themselves. They are, she says, part of a broader “short-cut economy” in which people seek brief emotional online rewards without long-term consequences."}],[{"start":113.76,"text":"It’s not just faux food delivery sites that offer virtual consumption. Saja-lion is a mock shopping site that lists quirky fictional items including a space-time travel device, wish coupon and “longevity peach”."}],[{"start":126.2,"text":"Another website offers to create a virtual “smoke break”. Users can choose one of several virtual locations, switch on ambient sounds and spend five minutes watching a cigarette slowly burn down while other anonymous users leave short messages about their work, school or simply feeling tired. Because there is nothing to do but wait for the cigarette to burn out, the experience feels like a mini meditation."}],[{"start":null,"text":"

"}],[{"start":149.88,"text":"FoodNeverArrives has an English version. But for now, this is mostly a domestic trend. The sites reflect both South Korea’s highly digital culture and the growing financial pressure placed on younger consumers. Youth unemployment averaged 7.1 per cent in the second quarter, the highest for the quarter in four years, while consumer inflation accelerated to 3.2 per cent in June, the highest in two and a half years. Faced with rising living costs, expensive housing and an uncertain job market, many people are looking for inexpensive ways to relieve stress."}],[{"start":183.04,"text":"“Economic indicators show strong growth, especially in the semiconductor sector, but many consumers don’t feel the economy is improving,” says Jeon. “Young Koreans are discouraged from making big purchases and are looking for alternative ways to satisfy the urge to shop.”"}],[{"start":198.16,"text":"Korea, she thinks, is a particularly time-consuming and energy-consuming society. “Many young people get easily burned out because society doesn’t allow any pause. They are seeking solace through their digital imagination in ways that don’t require much money or social interaction.”"}],[{"start":214.68,"text":"Commentators are telling users to consider their privacy. The apps and sites often provide little information about who operates them or how they handle personal information, though Park says it is not stored on her server."}],[{"start":226.56,"text":"Psychologist Whang Sang-min cautions against overstating the trend but acknowledges that the sites reflect the frustrations of younger Koreans who increasingly feel that social mobility is slipping out of reach."}],[{"start":237.88,"text":"“Many young people have little hope or expectation for the future,” he says. “They are trying to find joy or get some dopamine in their own way.”"}],[{"start":246.12,"text":""}]],"url":"https://audio.ftcn.net.cn/album/a_1785368279_1380.mp3"}