The horizon of journalism has been extended from traditional media, such as radio, television, and newspapers, to online media instead. According to a survey conducted by the Korea Press Foundation in 2015, 65 percent of the news usage rate by domestic media is online. However, many people have expressed their frustrations regarding “Portal News,” which is provided by the traditional press through a search engine, since problems regarding the traditional press have been raised so far. Portal News has consistently been pointed out for the following reasons: using provocative titles that distort the truth to increase the number of news clicks, aggressive comments, and different news frames for different media companies. In South Korea, online journalism is based on portal news services.
This is because users gather to the portal news service that makes it easy to read various news articles. Search engines have emerged as the most crucial area of news distribution. Therefore, the portal news service, which only distributes news, has more influence, compared with the websites of media companies or Internet newspapers. “Internet news is so provocative, and it seems to be writing articles from a biased perspective in each media company,” said student A, who expressed their frustrations regarding online news. The reason why A says this is because Korean media companies tend to advocate for a specific faction.
Currently, there is a vast amount of news and information on the Internet, and the methods and opportunities to access it have diversified. Therefore, diversification of choice can cause “subscription fatigue” since the time and cost that individuals can spend on content are limited. Therefore, young readers prefer news curation services, instead of news without context that is difficult to read and is unilaterally provided by the media. News curation refers to the creation of new value by selecting and rearranging news from among many news items to the reader’s interest and taste.
This method of providing news relieves readers’ worries about choices and helps them to easily understand the content. This phenomenon is especially popular among the younger generations, who prefer this simpler method of keeping up with the news. Therefore, for this reason, newsletters that allow users to choose and subscribe to topics that suit their tastes are popular among the younger generations, including college students and beginners in society.
Current Situation of Newsletter Service
As mentioned above, newsletter services are gaining popularity. Therefore, The UOS Times interviewed university students and people that were fresh-out-of-college who are subscribers of the newsletter.
All the university student interviewees claimed they were subscribing to the e-mail format newsletter. In South Korea, many platforms provide news in various fields, such as current events, economics, culture, management, or fashion. All the interviewees were subscribed to newsletters dealing with general current affairs. Two students read newsletters focusing on economics. One student answered that she had subscribed to a newsletter about current trends. Moreover, another student stated that they read a newsletter about environmental issues.
Two people that were fresh-out-of-college responded to the interview. They stated that they subscribe to the e-mail-format newsletter, and one interviewee noted that they receive information through the “Kakao Talk” channel. One interviewee claimed that they read a newsletter regarding current events, whereas the other receives a newsletter about economics.
What is Newsletter?
Alternative journalism is emerging to overcome the problems of the traditional press, while maintaining the high accessibility and ease of online journalism. New forms of journalism that are primarily hosted by the younger generation, produce news content by themselves and use the form of a “newsletter” to deliver the news directly to their subscribers. A newsletter is an information delivery method through which producers regularly send e-mails containing content to subscribers. Recently, many start-up companies deliver the latest information in related fields, create news and content on their own, and send them to subscribers through newsletters. Unlike the traditional press, which focuses on political or economic issues, newsletters deal with various services, such as focusing on the issues of specialized fields or easily organizing the latest news.
Millennials, who are the main drivers of these changes, generally refer to people born between the early 1980s and early 2000s. Because they are familiar with digital and mobile devices and have the ability to purchase them, many companies are creating products and ideas aimed at millennials. Recently, many start-ups have grown notably, providing news content professionally for these millennials. “NEWNEEK,” a start-up that provides newsletter-type content through e-mail, has more than 250,000 subscribers in two years. Using a friendly tone as if they were speaking to a friend, NEWNEEK features the three major news of the day that subscribers require.
New message
The interview is as follows:
Q Why do you subscribe to the newsletter service?
A Student A answered that they felt the need to watch the news. Therefore, A chose a service that informs her about the current events. Student A also stated, “I want to know about the recent issues, but it’s difficult to understand the traditional news, such as news channels on TV. However, I can find an easy explanation in the newsletters.” Student B said that she wanted to gain economic knowledge through the service. Student C replied that college students seem to pursue efficiency. Therefore, the students choose newsletters because similar to Student C, they believe it is an efficient method to receive information. Student D replied that she picked the newsletter due to its cute design and the use of simple terms. Student E said that she can see many issues briefly through it. Student E also said that distrust of the traditional press may be the reason why she chose this newsletter service.
Graduate F stated that when she browsed through Internet news, she felt there was a limit to understanding the contents of the news by simply looking at the headlines because it does not provide images or video. Therefore, she receives newsletters that inform current issues. Graduate G replied, “It’s because I can read useful information and articles using my smartphone on my way to work.”
Q What are the advantages of a newsletter, as compared with other media, in your opinion?
A Student A said that she could read comfortably at any time she wants because it is not a TV news video. Student B stated that the newsletter is easy to keep up with and can be read in a short time. Student C replied that the newsletter is the best starting point to help those unfamiliar with current issues become accustomed to the news. Student D cited filtering out important events as an advantage. Student D noted that the newsletter describes the news from a perspective that college students can sympathize with, compared to the traditional press, which is relatively difficult. Student E replied, “I like to receive qualitative information on a regular day of the appointment.” Moreover, Student E considers newsletters that are delivered at fixed timings as the driving force behind the ongoing interest in current events because constant contact with news leads to interest in other issues.
Graduate G pointed out the in-depth discussion about specific topics as the strength of a newsletter. Graduate F noted that the newsletter is convenient because the readers do not need to search for the information.
Q What do you think about the disadvantages of a newsletter in your opinion?
A Student A noted that the newsletter may lack in-depth details because it is concisely edited. Student B replied, “The advantage of easy storage of newsletters can be a disadvantage of putting off reading because it can be read at one’s convenience.” Student C pointed out that the readers could adopt the perspectives presented by the producer of the newsletter as a “limited answer” without deliberation if they use only a single newsletter service. Students D and E also stated the possibilities of readers accepting the editor’s opinion as it stands.
The UOS Times also conducted an interview with students who do not subscribe to the newsletter. Three university students responded to the interview. The three students receive news through other media forms, instead of newsletters.
Q What medium do you usually use to receive news?
A Mr. Gwon answered that he watches the news through TV news channels from broadcasting companies, such as YTN and JTBC. Ms. Lee and Park stated that they receive their news through the Internet.
Q What are the advantages or disadvantages of using the media?
A Mr. Gwon said that he is uncomfortable with the fact that TV news focuses on limited issues. However, he said he could understand that the issue is bound to be limited because TV news channels have to report news that people must know within a specific time frame. Ms. Lee stated, “I can easily find the important news because I usually watch news on the main website. However, there is not much information on the page that I am interested in, so I don’t read news often.” Ms. Park, who browses news articles on the Internet, similar to Ms. Lee, also replied, “I don’t like provocative titles and I don’t know what to read because there are so many articles.” Furthermore, she stated that it is inconvenient because she has to search for news content by herself.
Q Do you know the newsletter?
A All three students answered that they did not know about the newsletter.
Q Are you willing to use the newsletter?
A Mr. Gwon stated that he was not willing to use the newsletter because he does not use his e-mail often. Ms. Lee and Ms. Park stated that if the newsletter is sent regularly, it will save them the time to think about which news to read, and it will be convenient because they do not have to look for news themselves.
The interview responses show that all three respondents were uncomfortable with the news media. Therefore, the newsletter can serve as an informative news medium for them. After this interview, Ms. Lee informed us that she started subscribing to the newsletter: “It’s good to see news about my interests in the newsletter and I feel like my email has become my own personal space.”
What does the platform administrator running a journalism business centered on a newsletter service, think about the newsletter? The UOS Times interviewed the editors of two newsletter platforms “Upcle” and “the-edit,” to find out what the managers think about the advantages of newsletters and why it is gaining popularity among the young generation.
“Upcle” noted that the strength of the newsletter is the ease of communication with readers. Newsletters are useful for subscribers who want to receive the information that they require without spending much time to find it. Although media platforms, such as “Facebook” or “Instagram,” specialize in the exchange of relatively short content, newsletters have the comparative advantage of being able to deliver longer and in-depth information.
“The-edit” replied about why newsletters are drawing attention from millennials: “The young generation also wants to enjoy text-oriented content that is not too light. The newsletter is best-suited for them. Moreover, it is easy for people with new ideas to enter the market because one does not require a website to produce newsletters. With these factors in a virtuous cycle, newsletter is becoming increasingly attractive to the young generation.”
It is difficult to run a newsletter service. “Upcle” stated that attracting readership during the start of the business was the most difficult task. No matter how good the content is, a new newsletter service company has limited methods of promoting and marketing. Moreover, readers do not want to provide their personal e-mail. “The-edit” said that the most difficult step was to plan what to deal with in the newsletter. They said that they have overcome the difficulties by waiting for readers with patience and creating good content.
Both “Upcle” and “the-edit” are optimistic about the future of newsletters. The e-mail will be the best format for delivering textual information in the future. The newsletter market has only begun and will grow steadily for years.
The newsletter service is interacting with readers through a different method, compared with traditional journalism, particularly among millennials. Millennials learn about the world by creating and subscribing to the latest news and trends on their own. Why not subscribe to a newsletter about fields that you are interested in and join the future of newsletter services?
The UOS Times would like to recommend some informative and interesting newsletters. The following three newsletters all deliver news using simpler language, as if talking to a friend. These newsletters inform readers about the economy, culture, and trends; therefore, college students will not find it burdensome to read and will be able to feel that the news is easy and fun.
theSkimm [theskimm.com/]
The newsletter, “theSkimm,” focuses on short, simple, and easy-to-read news versions, and offers news that busy urban women aged 22–34 may be interested in. To approach millennial readers in a friendly manner, “theSkimm” narrates articles in a dialogue format, as if you were talking to a friend. In addition, the main article begins with “The Story,” a one-line summary form, and consists of short paragraphs centering on simple questions.
Upcle [upcle.me/]
“Upcle” concisely summarizes the five most important news items of the day in politics, economy, society, culture, and international fields. If you become a subscriber, you can receive these five news items at 6:00 p.m. every evening. In addition, an important issue is dealt with through a corner called “Friendly QnA,” which allows subscribers to understand complex and difficult news in the format of an easy, fun, and informative story.
The-edit [the-edit.co.kr/newsletter]
“The-edit” creates a newsletter that collects and delivers news about new products and trends every Friday, once a week. Millennials may prefer this newsletter because it utilizes the design elements of 1990s games. In addition, this newsletter helps subscribers to spend wisely, because the editors try out new products themselves and write honest reviews. Therefore, even if you buy a single item, you can feel the pleasure of spending your money wisely. Moreover, you can find news about new products faster than anyone else and follow the current trends.
Hwang Yun-seon
mono071227@uos.ac.kr
Hwang Ha-hyun
madang8899@uos.ac.kr