Readers obsessed with analog say, ‘Slowly immerse ourselves in and experience is fun’

** About 45,000 people applied for the 10th Kyobo Handwriting Contest this year. Courtesy of Kyobo Bookstore

“I'm fascinated by handwriting because it shows a person's personality, and I think it's a tool to decorate a person, just like makeup. I'm very distractible, so when I'm writing, I lose focus at some point and my handwriting gets sloppy, which I always try to fix.”

Last month, Chun Song-yi challenged the "Kyobo Handwriting Contest," in which she handwrites a sentence from a book. According to Kyobo Bookstore, about 45,000 people applied for the 10th Kyobo Handwriting Contest. It is the largest number ever and more than three times the number compared to the previous year. "People of various ages, including individuals, military units, corporate handwriting clubs, and manuscript groups, applied," said Jin Young-kyun, head of brand communication department at Kyobo Bookstore. "It seems that there has been an explosive response this year as interest in handwriting has increased on social media."

In a world where people consume content quickly and easily amidst waves of algorithms, analog marketing that takes time and effort to see, hear, feel, and experience, such as handwriting, is gaining a lot of traction in the publishing industry. In an age where people can easily write on our laptops, tablets, and other digital devices at any time, many readers still find joy and pleasure in the act of writing with a pen on paper. “I think the key to analog is the immersion in the process of getting there, rather than the result,” explains Chun. ”That's why we painstakingly handwrite, knit, paint, and draw.”

While everything is available in a second with a simple search, analogs have the appeal of “slowing down” and engaging readers. Munhakdongne Publishing Group is holding a reading event for Kim Ae-ran's recently published book, “One of These is Lie,” until September 14. If you call 070-8919-0318 (toll-free), then you can hear the author read the sentences from the book. The publisher’s phone reading event dates back to the Seoul International Book Fair in June, when it installed a “poetry gift phone booth” that randomly reads poems to callers. Visitors held the receiver for a long time at the phone booth and enjoyed a poem. In response to the unexpected response, Munhakdongne held an ARS event for "Poetry of Life Call" in July and received a whopping 270,000 calls in two weeks. “If digital is a war against speed, analog is a tempo break, giving you time to relax and look at things,” said Kim Ha-yeon, an employee of Munhakdongne, who organized the event. ”Publishing and literature is all about taking time to look back, examine, and think about something, and in this sense, analog and publishing and literature seem to be inseparable from each other.”

“Apartment Franz,” which has been operated by music publisher Franz since 2019, is also a content that allows people to experience immersion beyond the speed of the digital world. Small-scale music listening sessions, concerts, and music lectures linked to literary works are held frequently, and readers have time to immerse themselves in and experience music and share their feelings with each other. Although people can listen to music anytime, anywhere through YouTube or music streaming websites, they come to this space to experience music, not consume it. Nowadays, music is often seen as background music rather than something to focus on,” said Kim Dong-yeon, CEO of Franz. ”In this space, people are forced to listen to music, but more and more people want to have a special experience even if they are forced to listen to music.”

The reason why analog content is particularly popular in the publishing world is that the "materiality" of books, such as picking up and touching books, and flipping through the pages, is in contact with analog emotions.

Analog content is especially popular in the publishing industry because the “physicality” of a book - picking it up, holding it, flipping through the pages - is tied to an analog emotion. Maumsanchaek, a publishing house known for its interactive and empathetic book clubs, sometimes hosts small events in a small parlor to invite members, and handwrites letters to them. This analog sentiment is one of the reasons why readers are inundated with applications every year when the book club recruits new members. Jung Eun-sook, CEO of Maumsanchaek, said, "We are putting more energy and effort into it because it is of essential value that we can engrave the meaning of books and reading through emotional interaction with readers."

※This article has undergone review by a professional translator after being translated by an AI translation tool.