Cyworld Is Microcosm of Digital World

A Japanese housewife in her late 30s is maintaining a mini homepage (cyworld.jp/mariryn) under the pen name of Mariryn in Cyworld, a social networking site run by SK Communications Corporation.

She doesn’t reveal her real name for her privacy, while talking about her daily life online. Taking a serious view of the right of publicity, she also mosaics the face of her friends in a picture and posts it online. If she wants to post a photo of her friend, she gets prior permission.

A Chinese university student (23) draws a picture with a mouse whenever he has time on his Cyworld mini homepage (cyworld.com.cn/dis). He says that pictures he draws better show who he is than Chinese writing. There are particularly many self-image photos on the mini homepages run by the Chinese.

Cyworld, launched in 2001 with 22 million members home and abroad now, is a one-person media where people express themselves, and a social networking service enabling people to connect with others online.

Each country’s different nationalities are appearing on Cyworld, which started its global service in Japan and the U.S. this year, starting with China last year.

Nationality Exists Online without Borders –

SK Communications says that Koreans generally meet online with people they are close to offline. For this reason, “Ilchon relationship (close relation between people sharing information with each other on Cyworld)” is well developed in Korean than other countries. Cyworld users often post photos showing their recent life with such information like where and with whom they ate lunch on that day to family members and friends.

The Chinese, not shy from revealing themselves, are less aware of the dangers of leaking personal information. In China, 96 percent of Cyworld users are in their 10s and 20s. These younger generation people usually enjoy debating about social issues or entertainers with those they don’t know well.

Japanese are reluctant to make public their identity but actively show their hobbies and personal interests. They hardly move around other people’s writings or posts and produce contents such as pictures they took during travel by themselves.

SK Communications president Yoo Hyun-oh said, “Visitor sections of Japanese mini homepages mostly have praise and wishes for bright future,” and added, “It looks like that relationships online reflect Japanese character that is divided by honne (real intention) and tatemae (exterior or superficial view).”

The Way Human Networks Are Formed Vary from Country to Country-

Korea’s Cyworld can be matched for the Myspace of the U.S. (myspace.com), Japan’s Mixi (mixi.jp), and Chinese Qzone (qzone.qq.com).

Myspace rather looks like it is a matchmaking site as users reveal their academic background and salaries in detail on it. In fact, many men and women develop relationship here.

James Duncan (35), who recently moved to a Korean branch of a U.S. pharmaceutical company, noted, “American people seem more willing to make new friends than managing their relations with other friends they already know.”

Witnessing the rapid increase in the number of members beginning last year, Japan’s Mixi, began its service in 2004, now has 5.7 million members.

What distinguishes Mixi most from the other sites of its kind is its closeness in which a person is able to join the site only when he or she is invited by other current members. In addition, the perspective of “inner circle” is evident, with those joined the member for free can’t upload pictures in the first place.

Chinese Qzone, which debuted last year, is boisterous with its advanced reply culture. It is highly open-minded with the motto of connecting with anyone so the key notion of Korea’s Cyworld, “Ilchon” doesn’t exist here.

A Chinese researcher of LG Economic Research Institute said, “Since there is a clear distinction among countries online as well, Korean IT companies should work hard to develop items tailored to local needs.”

mikemoon@donga.com jaykim@donga.com