According to findings from an online survey by the Korea Press Foundation that were released on Tuesday, an overwhelming 70.8 percent said they had stayed in a group chat room despite wanting to leave. (Image: Yonhap)
SEOUL, Oct. 31 (Korea Bizwire) – A new survey has revealed nearly 7 in 10 South Korean smartphone users feel compelled to stay in group chat rooms in fear of hurting other people’s feelings.
According to findings from an online survey by the Korea Press Foundation that were released on Tuesday, an overwhelming 70.8 percent said they had stayed in a group chat room despite wanting to leave.
When asked about their experience, nearly half of the respondents said they didn’t leave the group chat room because they didn’t want to hurt other people’s feelings or upset them.
Over 6 in 10 people said they had been invited to a group chat room they didn’t want to be in, while more than half of the respondents said they usually don’t engage in conversation when invited to a chat room they don’t want to join.
Nearly 66 percent said they didn’t speak much in fear of having their words travel to the wrong people, while 42.2 percent said they have had unpleasant experiences with information being shared with others outside of the chat room.
The shocking findings have revealed that a significant number of South Korean messaging app users feel stressed out mentally and emotionally over an influx of online conversations that are being forced upon them, particularly via group chats, a popular feature that most messaging app services now provide.
Nearly 4 in 10 people admitted to sharing insults or attacks on other people outside group chat rooms through phone calls, texts, and conversations, adding fuel to the paranoia over the open nature of group chats.
Almost 7 in 10 people saw group chat rooms as private spaces, while 79 percent thought of them as public spaces when colleagues or work-related people are involved.
In the meantime, respondents who have copied and pasted an entire piece of news or a link to a news website in a group chat room accounted for 50.2 percent and 55.7 percent, both respectively.
A new survey has revealed nearly 7 in 10 South Korean smartphone users feel compelled to stay in group chat rooms in fear of hurting other people’s feelings. (Image: Kobiz Media)
The survey was conducted by pollster Market Link at the request of the Korea Press Foundation, with a sample of 1,061 South Korean men and women aged between 20 and 50, with a margin of error of 3 percent.
A report containing detailed information about the survey and the behavior of South Korean smartphone users with regard to messaging apps has been published in the third edition of the online journal Media Issue by the Korea Press Foundation.
Hyunsu Yim (hyunsu@koreabizwire.com)
