With so many new series being released on Webtoon, it’s only natural that the platform is finally introducing an update that brings more personalized recommendations to its users. This update is set to roll out today, May 8th, and it’s meant to be designed in a way that makes browsing webcomics as smooth as browsing for shows on a well-built streaming service. As part of the update, Webtoon will include features like an AI recommendation model, a revamped onboarding process for new users, a new search system, and a “New and Hot” tab. Overall, the end goal of this update for Webtoon is to help users spend less time searching for a series and more time actually reading series they enjoy.
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For many users, this update will likely come as a welcome change to the Webtoon platform, where it’s easy to get lost in the sea of options and end up not picking anything to read with the time you have available to do so. When you look at the in-depth explanations of these new features, it’s definitely an update to be excited about.
A Closer Look at Webtoon’s New Features
Webtoon’s press release provides additional insight into the features that are being brought to the platform with a focus on helping you find your next favorite series without making you spend too much time searching for it. With mixed feelings about the use of AI, it should be interesting to see how it functions as a way to help recommend new series to users. The recommendation engine will use information from user onboarding, reading history, and even preferred drawing styles as a basis for the recommendations it makes.
The rest of the features are more familiar, and you might’ve seen them on other platforms. The “New and Hot” tab will show you series that have recently been added, and those that are rising in popularity. However, you’ll find that there’s a unique twist that Webtoon puts on this feature, as you’ll be able to see trailer-style content previews, which you usually expect from streaming services rather than comics.
Finally, there’s the new keyword-based search function, which lets you search for topics and genres instead of searching for exact matches, and a new option to unlock the entirety of select complete series instead of unlocking them one chapter at a time.
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The Potential to Get Stuck in a Bubble
The biggest potential problem with shifting to a focus on showing users what the system believes they’ll like is that they can end up missing a series that could end up being a new favorite because it doesn’t fit into the suggestions built on their profile. You never know when you’ll find something that you wouldn’t usually read and then end up loving it. As a result, it’s possible that you’ll get stuck in a mix of the same recommendations built on your profile and the top series at that time, missing out on hidden gems or unexpected treasures that you don’t see because it doesn’t fit your normal profile.
While the update for Webtoon to focus on shortening the time it takes to find a series to read seems like it’ll be an overall positive, it’s likely that there will be room for improvements after it rolls out in order to refine the system. Otherwise, it could be time to implement a “Random Picks” tab that shows you a random set of series regardless of your profile’s history.
