As people grow sick of social media algorithms, they look to movie theaters, newspapers and TV instead
As people, especially Gen Z, grow exhausted with algorithm-recommended content, they are turning to movie theaters, newspapers and television programs. But experts warn that this trend does not necessarily signal a lasting return to traditional media.
People line up to purchase tickets at a movie theater in Yongsan District, central Seoul, on March 8.NEWS1
As people grow exhausted with algorithm-driven content, they are increasingly visiting movie theaters, reading newspapers and tuning in to television.
These days, Kim So-jung, an office worker in Seoul, has been spending more time watching films.
“I went to the Muju Film Festival this year and saw 15 of the roughly 20 presented films, including preview screenings,” she said. “Would that make me an ‘aemaepil’?” Aemaepil is a portmanteau of the Korean word aemae, which means ambiguous, and “cinephile.”
Kim said that while calling herself a cinephile felt like an overstatement, she has undoubtedly grown more serious about watching movies — a commitment that others seem to relate to, given the growing popularity of “amaepil.”
The term has gained traction since late last year, as more people grow tired of how social media algorithms’ recommendations and seek high-quality entertainment that allows them to focus without distraction.
“Even if movie tickets are expensive, I can [choose which films to watch after I] read reviews on blogs […] and social media from different perspectives and avoid wasting money,” Kim said. “I often watch movies on streaming platforms, but if I really want to immerse myself in one, I go to the theater.”
Movie theater revenue reached 367.2 billion won ($237.7 million) this year through Saturday, the highest level for the first half of any year since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, according to the Korean Film Council’s box office information system.
Revenue reached 480 billion won at the industry’s peak in the first half of 2019, but it plunged to 34.5 billion won in the first half of 2021 during the pandemic.
A special talk session at the Ulsan Ulju Mountain Film Festival on April 17ULSAN ULJU MOUNTAIN FILM FESTIVAL
Similarly, box office revenue in the United States this year reached $4.56 billion as of Saturday, the highest level for the first half of any year since the pandemic, according to Box Office Mojo.
The rebound is driven by the return of Hollywood franchises such as “Toy Story” and low-budget independent films that become surprise hits, including “Backrooms.”
In the domestic box office, Korean films, including “The King’s Warden” and “Salmokji: Whispering Water,” performed well.
Experts say that, apart from a strong lineup of releases, movies have re-established themselves as an accessible means of indulgence for consumers.
Streaming platforms have encouraged viewers to develop stronger preferences, now making them more likely to visit theaters once a film generates positive word of mouth, according to a February study by the Korean Film Council and the Korea Productivity Center.
Some experts also credit Gen Z as the driving force behind box office recovery.
Gen Z, or those born between 1997 and 2012, visited movie theaters more frequently than any other generation in 2025, according to a survey of 7,000 adults aged 18 to 70 by U.S. ticketing company Fandango.
People pass by an advertisement for the movie "Colony" at a movie theater in Seoul on May 26.YONHAP
Among Gen Z respondents, 87 percent said that they had gone to a theater at least once in the past year. That figure stood at 82 percent for millennials, 70 percent for Gen X and 58 percent for baby boomers.
The survey also found that millennials tend to visit theaters to escape everyday life, while Gen Z often treats moviegoing as a social activity.
This trend is also visible in Korea, where three-person groups of women in their teens and 20s accounted for the largest share of audiences at 4-D eXperience (4DX) theaters last year, according to CGV’s Data Strategy Team. For ScreenX and Ultra 4DX theaters, three-person groups in their 20s and 30s accounted for the largest share of audiences.
Moviegoing is not the only hobby that’s making a comeback: Young people are also showing renewed interest in physical newspapers.
The newspaper subscription rate among 2,674 surveyed children and teenagers — from fourth graders in elementary school to third-year high schoolers — was 12.7 percent in 2025, up 1.3 percentage points from the previous survey conducted three years earlier, according to the Korea Press Foundation.
The share of teenagers who said that they had read a printed newspaper sometime in the past week rose to 12.7 percent in 2025, up from 11.4 percent in 2022 and 7.8 percent in 2019.
Videos uploaded to Instagram of people reading newspapersSCREEN CAPTURE
Even among elementary school respondents, 16 percent said that they had read a printed newspaper during the previous week — up 2.7 percentage points from the 2022 survey.
Additionally, online communities where people share reviews of books and newspaper articles have become more active, and in-person groups that meet to read newspapers together have gained popularity as well.
At the same time, the limited portability of printed newspapers has led some readers to subscribe to newsletters or paid digital editions of traditional news outlets instead.
The New York Times said that it added about 310,000 digital-only subscribers during the first quarter of the year, bringing its total paid subscriber base to 13.08 million.
Television viewership has also edged higher.
A total of 70.9 percent of 8,320 respondents aged 13 or older watched television at least five days per week, up 1.8 percentage points from 69.1 percent a year earlier, according to the Korea Media and Communications Commission. The increase marked a turnaround after viewership rates declined between 2022 and 2024.
Viewership of news and current affairs programs rose by 3.2 percentage points and 4.1 percentage points, respectively, from a year earlier.
The report attributed the rebound to people considering television as an essential source of information during disasters and emergencies, as well as their growing distrust of algorithm-driven content and vigilance against misinformation.
“Brain rot” — a term describing the perceived detrimental effects of excessive smartphone and social media use on a person’s mental health and intelligence — has also fueled the demand for curated and high-quality media.
“In the case of teenagers in particular, this appears to reflect the changing attitudes of their parents,” said Koo Jeong-woo, a sociology professor at Sungkyunkwan University. “It is a reaction against a digital-first culture, which is driven by an interest in short-form videos.”
Experts caution, however, that the trend does not necessarily signal a lasting return to traditional media. Instead, it serves more as evidence that niche markets are becoming stronger.
As a result, theaters need to continue offering worthwhile films and distinctive experiences, and legacy media must strengthen its credibility in the digital environment.
“Young people today expect to live to 150, so they are highly interested in information about health,” culture critic Kim Heon-sik said. “Instead of relying on the flood of information online, they want trustworthy sources [on the topic]. Traditional media shouldn’t try to imitate social media but instead maintain credibility through those opportunities.”
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
