The role of media representations in webcomic company
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.62051/8085wd48Keywords:
Webtoon Entertainment Inc., Digital Comics, Hybrid Revenue Model, Cross-media Strategy, Media Representation.Abstract
This essay explains the way media representations have been applied at Webtoon Entertainment Inc. (WBTN), one of the largest online comics companies that disrupted the comics business by turning them into a mobile-first, vertical scrolling system. It is a study of the revenue model adopted by WBTN, and a hybrid model that includes both free access and paid capabilities in achieving an analysis on how the business entity will be able to maximise interactions with users, in order to be financeably stable. In addition, the cross-media nature of WBTN (making webcomics turn into TV shows, films and video games) focuses much on how the media representation influences the imaginations of viewers and how it is perceived as cultural narration. This paper will discuss how the corporation employs artificial intelligence (AI) as a means of providing customized content and enhancing the user experience and how the company itself employs “glocalization,” i.e. adapts the content to the local tastes. The paper also justifies the position of WBTN relative to its competitors in the digital content market and offers recommendations that will aid its business model in a bid to ensure its long-term success in a competitive global market.
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[8] Cho H, Adkins D, Long A K. Understanding the reader demographics of an emerging online reading platform, Webtoon. Journal of Documentation, 2025, 81(2): 351-368.
[9] Afshar R R, Zhang Y, Firat M, et al. A Decision Support Method to Increase the Revenue of Ad Publishers in Waterfall Strategy. IEEE Symposium on Computational Intelligence for Financial Engineering and Economics, 2019, 1–8.
[10] Vaz R, de Carvalho J V, Teixeira S F. Developing a digital business incubator model to foster entrepreneurship, business growth, and academia–industry connections. Sustainability, 2023, 15(9): 7209.
[11] Chalaby J K. Producing TV Content in a Globalized Intellectual Property Market: The Emergence of the International Production Model. Journal of Media Business Studies, 2012, 9(3): 19–39.
[12] Cho H, Adkins D, Long A K. Understanding the reader demographics of an emerging online reading platform, Webtoon. Journal of Documentation, 2025, 81(2): 351-368.
[13] Chalaby J K. Producing TV Content in a Globalized Intellectual Property Market: The Emergence of the International Production Model. Journal of Media Business Studies, 2012, 9(3): 19–39.
[14] Afshar R R, Zhang Y, Firat M, et al. A Decision Support Method to Increase the Revenue of Ad Publishers in Waterfall Strategy. IEEE Symposium on Computational Intelligence for Financial Engineering and Economics, 2019, 1–8.
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