2024 Fall/Winter
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2024 International Conference of Asian Marketing Associations (ICAMA)
In Osaka, Japan
From November 22 to 24, 2024, the 2024 International Conference of Asian Marketing Associations (ICAMA) was held at the Osaka International Convention Center, Osaka, Japan, under the theme “Bridging The Innovative Technologies to Marketing in Asian Markets.”
This conference, hosted by the Korean Marketing Association (KMA) and sponsored by prominent journals such as Asia Marketing Journal (AMJ), Asia Pacific Journal of Marketing and Logistics (APJML), and Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services (JRCS), provided a valuable platform for sharing knowledge and fostering academic collaboration.
Special thanks to the organizers and sponsoring institutions, including Ritsumeikan University, Japan, for hosting this incredible event.
Presented Papers
Eugene Choi
The Impacts of Content Creation Frequency and Content Type of YouTube Channels on their Business Performance
Sewon Eom
How are Korean preschool intellectual properties (IPs) diversified?
The Integration of TV Drama and Film Value Chains through Netflix: A Case Study on Korean Media Content Industry
Jaeyoung Park
Glimpse in ICAMA Osaka 2024
This year's ICAMA is characterized not only by scholarly discussions but also by joy and enthusiasm. Adding to the excitement, we participated in MAMA OSAKA 2025, bringing together the worlds of academia and entertainment in a truly memorable experience.
Sewon:
ICAMA 2024 Osaka was my first international conference and presenting my research was an unforgettable experience. It was an excellent opportunity to meet and connect with researchers in the marketing sector. I could feel how closely intertwined media business and marketing are, and how important it is to engage with each other field’s research for deeper insights.
Eugene:
The chance to see MAMA OSAKA 2025 was absolutely surreal! Our seats were right in front of the stage, which gave us the chance to enjoy the performances up close and feel the exciting atmosphere. It was an amazing opportunity to truly experience the global Fandom of kpop (feat. We saw Bruno Mars and Rosé!)
Jaeyoung:
I truly experienced that the media industry is all about fandom at the MAMA event!
Editor:
I envy you all! It must have been such an incredible experience to combine academia with the energy of MAMA 2024!
New LOGO for SUITE LAB
A new logo for SUITE Lab is here. Thank you for designing it, Seungyeon!
Book Publication!
Korea’s Platform Empire: An Emerging Power in the Global Platform Sphere
Korea's Platform Empire explores the evolution of digital platforms in South Korea’s media sphere, and their global political, economic, cultural, and technological influence. With a focus on Korea in the context of the global platform revolution, the book takes a methodical look at the broader social implications, and the impact on cultural production. The authors explore various facets of the media and cultural industries, looking beyond social media to news broadcasting and the music industry and look at the policy and regulations behind this shifting technological advancement. This book will appeal to students and scholars working on media industries, digital media, platform studies, information and technology studies, Korean and East Asian media studies, and the creative and cultural industries.
Authors
Publisher
Seongcheol Kim, Dal Yong Jin
Routledge
Table of contents
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Introduction: Why Do Digital Platforms Matter?
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How Korea’s Digital Platforms Have Been Evolved?
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Digital Platform Ecosystem: Who Are the Main Players and What about Their Competitiveness?
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How Cultural Production Has Shifted in the Digital Platform Age?
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Policy/Regulation: What Are the Policy Responses to the Rapid Progress of Global OTT Platforms and the Underperformance of Local OTT Platforms?
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Are Korea’s Digital News Platforms Healthy?
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Do Korea’s Entertainment Platforms Promote the Korean Wave?
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How Has YouTube Music Outperformed Korea’s Digital Music Platforms?
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Can Korea Stay Ahead of Emerging Digital Platforms?
Academic
Progress
There's a lot happening in our lab.
I will give you a brief summary of our monthly highlights!
Media
Appearances
Do you recognize the significance of local platforms in today's global society?
If you have an interest in the platform industry, this video will guide you in organizing your thoughts and developing a comprehensive understanding of the topic.
Publications
Yeah!!! Finalllllly, the articles have been accepted!
Barriers to playing digital games: Why do some people choose not to play digital games?
Available Online
Journal
Journal Index
Methodology
Keywords
September 2024
Telematics and Informatics
SSCI/SCIE
Online survey, partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS–SEM)
Non-game players, Digital gaming, Barrier, Innovation resistance theory, Leisure barriers, Gaming industry
Summary
The study investigates why some people are hesitant to play digital games, addressing barriers that prevent non-players from engaging. Using a framework based on leisure barriers and Innovation Resistance Theory, it identifies seven barriers: four intrapersonal, two interpersonal, and one structural. The research categorizes non-players into those with no gaming experience (NG-N) and those with prior experience (NG-F), finding that perceived incompetence and negative social perceptions are the most significant obstacles. A significant difference is observed between the two groups, offering valuable insights for the gaming industry and policymakers to create a more inclusive environment and broaden the gaming audience.
Seungyeon
(1st Author)
I’m excited to share my recently published article, now featured on our lab's highlight page! As someone who identifies as a gamer (not a "heavy" gamer, but gaming takes up a good portion of my leisure time), this topic is particularly close to my heart. Initially, I was curious about why people are motivated to play games. But through several discussions with my advisor, my focus shifted to a less-explored but equally fascinating question: why do some people never play games? South Korea provided a unique backdrop for this research. For ten years, we had a forced gaming curfew—something that underscores the strong negative social perception surrounding games here. What started as a term paper grew into my Master’s dissertation, and it was an absolute pleasure to dive deeper into this topic. If I had the chance to rewrite the paper, I’d refine the approach by applying an exploratory sequential method to better enhance the variable extraction in the model. Research always leaves room for improvement, right? As an enthusiastic gamer and researcher, this journey has been both personal and academic. I hope this study sparks meaningful discussions about how we perceive games and their players. Thanks for reading! 😊
Publications
Yeah!!! Finalllllly, the articles have been accepted!
Why do users perceive digital platforms as indispensable to their lives?: A study on KakaoTalk in Korea
Available Online
Journal
Journal Index
Methodology
Keywords
September 2024
Telecommunications Policy
SSCI/SCIE
Online survey, partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS–SEM)
Perceived indispensability of digital platforms, Perceived comprehensiveness, Perceived sociability, Perceived benefits, Perceived risks, Platform habits
Summary
This study examines the factors influencing users’ perceptions of digital platform indispensability, specifically focusing on perceived benefits, perceived risks, and platform habits. We also explored how platform characteristics impact these factors. This study targeted regular KakaoTalk users who utilize multiple Kakao services, given its dominant role in the Korean market. The results show that users’ perceived benefits and platform habits strongly contribute to perceived digital platform indispensability, while perceived risks have an insignificant impact. Furthermore, platform characteristics such as comprehensiveness and sociability positively influence perceived benefits and platform habits. This study introduces the concept of indispensability in digital platform research and highlights a dual pathway of perceived benefits and platform habits, offering strategic insights for platform providers, regulatory considerations for policymakers, and practical advice for users.
Jaeyoung
(1st Author)
I am truly delighted that the thesis I wrote for my master’s degree has been published! I would like to once again express my heartfelt gratitude to my advisor for guiding me through the long revision process. This study was driven by a shared understanding of the need for new concepts to explain the relationship between digital platforms and their users. In this context, I attempted to define the concept of "indispensability." Proposing a new concept was by no means easy, but the journey taught me invaluable lessons along the way.