South Korea Launches Fake Online Shopping Sites to Combat Addiction

Seoul. We all have the experience of ordering items we don't really need while scrolling through online retailer sites. In South Korea, however, fake online shopping sites have been launched to curb such addiction. These online shopping platforms, called 'Dopamine Sites', are becoming popular among the younger generation.

These websites and mobile apps provide an experience similar to real online marketplaces. However, users do not buy any real items and do not spend any money. According to psychologists, people are not only attracted to buying goods in online shopping, but the shopping process itself releases 'dopamine' in the brain. This is why many people are motivated to shop online repeatedly.

Dopamine sites have features like hundreds of products, detailed reviews, ratings, discount offers, search filters, and shopping carts. Users can add items they like to the cart, fill in their address, and press the order button. The app then provides an experience similar to a real delivery service. A delivery person appears on the screen accepting the order, and their journey can be tracked live via GPS. However, no item ordered this way reaches the home. Nor is a single penny deducted from the user's bank account or credit card.

According to many young people in South Korea, these apps provide excitement, anticipation, and mental satisfaction similar to real shopping. Users know that the goods do not actually arrive. But the entire shopping experience provides some level of dopamine sensation. Amidst high living costs, rising inflation, and constant advertising pressure, many young people have started taking these platforms as a way to save money.