What social media platforms do Koreans actually use besides Instagram and Facebook?

Koreans use a mix of global and domestic platforms. Here is what is widely used.

KakaoTalk. The single most important Korean app. Not technically social media, but used for everything from chatting to group communities (오픈채팅), business contacts, payments, and news subscriptions. Open Chat rooms are like Discord servers organized by topic, anyone can join anonymously.

Naver Blog. The Korean equivalent of personal blogging plus reviews. Koreans search Naver Blog for restaurant reviews, travel tips, product reviews, and how-to guides, often before Google. Bloggers monetize through reviews and ads. If you want to find honest local reviews of anything in Korea, search Naver Blog instead of just Google.

Naver Cafe. Communities organized around interests, hobbies, neighborhoods, or fan groups. There are cafes for almost everything: hiking, cooking, K-pop fan clubs, real estate by district, baby products, etc. Some are open, some require approval to join. Many transactions and connections happen in cafes.

Instagram. Very popular for visual content, especially fashion, food, travel, and influencer culture. Hashtags are usually in Korean.

Threads and X (Twitter). Used by younger users and within K-pop fandoms but less mainstream than Instagram.

Facebook. Declining among younger Koreans but still used for community groups, especially expat groups.

TikTok. Growing rapidly, especially among teens and early 20s.

YouTube. Massive in Korea, often used as a search engine. K-tubers cover cooking, beauty, finance, gaming, etc.

For real Korean cultural immersion, install Naver and learn to navigate blog and cafe searches. They unlock a different layer of local information.