by Devon Sponheimer

We’re starting a new series called “Japlanning your life”, where you can bring some Japanese creations into your day-to-day. Today, Devon is teaching us all about one of the newer social media applications taking the world by storm!  Today, we explore the world of LINE, the free call and messaging program developed in Japan.

Line was launched in 2011, built in fact out of the Tohoku earthquake, with the realisation of most traditional communication methods being down, and the need for online methods. Within 18 months after public release, Line quickly reached 100 million users.  It is now Japan’s largest social network, with 300 million users worldwide.