Microsoft has an anthropologist. Anne Kirah, from Microsoft Paris shared some of her work for Microsoft's recent Social Computing Seminar 2005. She researched about Korean Broadband and the popularity of Cyworld, and Lineage II, compairing them to another high broadband country, the Netherlands. Here's an extract of her position paper:

The first set of case studies will show how the level of broadband penetration and mobile penetration are determining product development, usage and desire. We are able to see global trends develop using these various levels of penetration as key indicators. What do Korea and Netherlands have in common? Both are amongst the highest level of broadband penetration in the world. They are also amongst the most developed when it comes to social software currently on the market both on the internet and on the mobile phone. I will specifically discuss Cyworld and Lineage II (from Korea—the former is a social software that literally exploded in the period of one year to become one of the most important internet and mobile software services in Korea (and used by all demographics). There are also social obligations that have developed in likeness with the “real world”. I will also describe a similar site in the Netherlands built by a small local government for the local teenage community.