• Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety
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• v.31 no.3
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• pp.153-166
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• 2016

The purpose of this study was to investigate consumers' perceptions on monosodium L-glutamate (MSG) in social media. Data were collected from Naver blogs and Naver web communities (Korean representative portal web-site), and media reports including comment sections on a Yonhap news website (Korean largest news agency). The results from Naver blogs and Naver web communities showed that it was primarily mentioned MSG-use restaurant reviews, 'MSG-no added' products, its safety, and methods of reducing MSG in food. When TV shows on current affairs, newspaper, or TV news reported uses and side effects of MSG, search volume for MSG has increased in both PC and mobile search engines. Search volume has increased especially when TV shows on current affairs reported it. There are more periods with increased search volume for Mobile than PC. Also, it was mainly commented about safety of MSG, criticism of low-quality foods, abuse of MSG, and distrust of government below the news on the Yonhap news site. The label of MSG-no added products in market emphasized "MSG-free" even though it is allocated as an acceptable daily intake (ADI) not-specified by the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA). When consumers search for MSG (monosodium L-glutamate) or purchase food on market, they might perceive that 'MSG-no added' products are better. Competent authorities, offices of education and local government provide guidelines based on no added MSG principle and these policies might affect consumers' perceptions. TV program or news program could be a powerful and effective consumer communication channel about MSG through Mobile rather than PC. Therefore media including TV should report item on monosodium L-glutamate with responsibility and information based on scientific background for consumers to get reliable information.

• Trans-
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• v.1
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• pp.117-139
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• 2016

Radio, the first broadcasting medium in history, is also the first mobile medium that meets the currently mobile ecology based on mobile communications network. As a result, it is easily approachable to consumers, can easily engage individual consumers, and its program contents have a huge appealing power to individual listeners, allowing it to form intimacy with audiences at the closest distance. However, the listening rating of radio has decreased greatly because it has experienced various changes by many other competitive media such as TV and internet and it has been influenced by relative constant hypothesis. Also, radio now faces a bigger competition due to the emergence of smartphone. In this circumstance, radio showed movements to evolve into a digital radio that presents improved sound, strengthened reception power, and increased number of channels, but it suddenly changed to DMB and portable multimedia DMB is having huge problems in its marketability due to smartphone. Yet, the listening rating of analogue radio broadcasting that remained unchanged was 13.99% in 2014, an increase by 47% from 2011, and the percentage of listeners under the age of 18 increased by 2.4 times from 2011 to 2014, which was a unique and interesting phenomenon. Accordingly, this paper compared the characteristics of internet and radio that have the traits of daily life, information, individuality, participatory, adventurousness, alternative media, expertise, and sound media. The paper then examined the listening method of radio, in which the direct groundwave antenna reception through a vehicular device is the most common form during the use of transportation means. Finally, it sought to investigate the future of radio based on the understanding of the increase in radio listening ratings, especially by comparing it to the characteristics of smart generation that focus on smartphone and the internet The study results demonstrated that entertainment and amusements are attempting at changes while they used to be obtained selectively by the smart generation from fragmentary information. In addition, radio is expected to become an influential medium in the future through its advantages of 'selected information' and reliability. However, considering such possibilities, radio needs to build the expertise and reliability of broadcasting contents much more at the same time as its digitalization, and it will be able to have its own competitiveness by focusing on various experiences and cultural exposures.