Line is a messaging app created in the wake of the 2011 Japanese Tsunami. As a result of the disaster many normal channels of communication had broken down and the Line app was developed by internet company Naver for its staff as a means of internet-based communication.
Naver opened the app to the public in Japan later that year where it quickly became incredibly popular, before gaining traction in other Asian countries.
In some ways it’s similar to services like WhatsApp or Facebook Messenger, offering virtual stickers, animated emojis, and games. At the same time it’s so much more than these services, offering its users a way to call and message friends, keep up with news and entertainment, order taxis, make mobile payments, find discount vouchers, and stream music.
Most of the app’s money is made from advertising and through sales of its virtual stickers and games starring cute mascot figures.
If its 218 million monthly active users aren’t enough of a sign of its appeal, Line has also opened physical stores which sell merchandise featuring popular characters from the app’s games and stickers.
COMMUNICATING 