Study: Social behaviours across SEA you should take note of

As of October 2024, there are now 5.22 billion social media identities globally. This is up from 256 million over the past year. In Southeast Asia, social media user identities are slightly higher than the global average, accounting for 64.3% of the region's total population.

This is according to a report by socially-led creative agency We Are Social and media intelligence firm Meltwater. Titled "Digital 2024 October statshot", the report found that the global average daily time spent using social media is 2 hours and 19 minutes with an average of 6.8 platforms used each month.

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Most social media users in Southeast Asia are more active than their global counterparts, it added. In the Philippines, the daily average time spent on social media is 3 hours and 33 minutes, while an average of 8.2 platforms are used each month.  Singapore ranks fourth globally, with 88.8% of the population using social media. 

In Indonesia, social media makes up almost half (44.3%) of Internet users' share of online time. The nation is most likely to globally seek out brands on social media (63.9%) versus just under half (49.3%) globally. Additionally, 65.2% use social media to research brands for potential purchases. 

Of the social media platforms, TikTok has the highest average time per Android user, clocking in 34 hours and 15 minutes per month. These average times are higher across most of the region, with Vietnamese users leading with almost 10 hours more than the global average each month on TikTok. 

Following TikTok, YouTube takes second place globally with the average user spending 29 hours and 21 minutes per month on its Android app. Thailand is one of YouTube's most active markets, spending 46 hours and 25 minutes per month on the app. Malaysia, Singapore, Vietnam and Indonesia are all above the global average too, according to the report. 

While Instagram is more popular in other parts of the world, countries in the region such as Vietnam and Philippines are well above the global average for monthly app sessions per user, with 83.7 and 135.8 sessions respectively.  In fact, the report found that social media users in the Philippines are most likely globally to follow influencers too. 

Reddit, however, sees Singapore as one of its top markets where Singapore users are spending close to 4 hours a month on the Android app with an average of 122 sessions.  Meanwhile, Singapore has some of the most active Telegram users globally, accessing the Android app 258.6 times versus the global average of 186.6 sessions.

What else is the region interested in?

In tandem, the region continues to be some of the most active users across different messaging apps as well, said the report. In Philippines, users spend an average of 15 hours and 31 minutes on Messenger with an average of 768.9 sessions per month in its Android app.  Indonesians are the second highest users of WhatsApp clocking just over 26 hours each month in the app with an average of 1,374.3 sessions per month.

In the realm of online gaming, Philippines, Indonesia, Vietnam and Thailand claim the top four spots globally for the number of internet users playing video games.  Interestingly, ChatGPT’s app now ranks amongst the world’s top 20 revenue-earning non-game apps.

This report follows a Q1 2024 report from We Are Social and Meltwater too.  In the first quarter of 2024, it found that 73.7% of the region's total population are on the Internet. The region also sees more social media users active than the global average, particularly in the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam.

Globally, the average time spent on social media for users is two hours and 20 minutes, a slight dip from the previous quarter at two hours and 24 minutes. In Southeast Asia however, the aforementioned countries boast higher online engagement times, with an average of three hours and 30 minutes recorded for users in the Philippines.  When it came to platforms markets should take note of, video games, TV and OTTT were highlighted. 

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