South Korea’s lonely, stressed Gen Z find comfort in apps that do nothing

At 2am, Kim, a 25-year-old office worker, opens a site designed to look like a food delivery app, though he has no plan to order. He chooses menu items, drops them into a cart and simulates the experience of placing an order.“It somehow feels like I actually ordered something,” he said.Kim said the habit helps him resist late-night cravings.“There are many times when I crave food late at night but hold back to save money. It feels like a real delivery app, so I somehow keep looking at it,” Kim said, referring to a site whose name is a spoof of a food delivery app.“I don’t end up ordering anything, but it feels like it relieves a little stress,” Kim said.So-called dopamine sites – online spaces that offer quick stimulation – have recently spread among young people in South Korea. The fake food delivery site is one example, recreating the experience of using a delivery app without the transaction. Users can browse menus, select items and place them in a cart without sending an order.Some listings include delivery times and star ratings, making it feel closer to a real app. The only missing step is the order itself. For users, that is the appeal – the site offers the satisfaction of ordering food without the cost.A website simulates a shared smoke break. Photo: The Korea TimesAnother site, named for the Korean slang for a smoke break, works similarly. Users see a “start” button and a real-time display of who else is online, giving them the atmosphere of taking a break together without actually smoking.Anonymous users leave messages such as “I’m getting through another day” and “I want to go home”, turning the site into an online break room. Like the fake food delivery site, it simulates a familiar ritual without requiring the real-world act behind it.Users say these sites are not just jokes. They describe them as short breaks that help them reset. Lee, a 24-year-old college student, visits the smoking site during exam periods or when he loses focus while working on assignments.“I’m not actually smoking, but it feels like I’m taking a break with someone, so it’s strangely comforting,” Lee said.Further ReadingLee said the site also eases the loneliness of studying alone.“When I go on the site while studying alone, it feels like other people are struggling, too, so I somehow feel less lonely,” Lee said. The comfort comes less from conversation than from knowing others have entered the same small virtual space.Kim described fake delivery sites in similar terms, calling it “zoning out for a moment”. Expensive delivery fees often cause people to hesitate before pressing an order button on a real app, but with these websites, that pressure disappears.“The site doesn’t allow orders anyway, so I can keep browsing without pressure,” Kim said. “It feels like looking at food photos online. As I browse, my mood somehow gets a little better.”