We, Filipinos, had given the term ‘social life’ a new definition. Our social lives are no longer confined on invitation-only gatherings. In fact, our social lives are now boundary-less, mingling, coordinating and co-existing with other nationals at least through the social media.
At this age of digitization, we proved to the world how resourceful and resilient we are from texting to Friendster and now to Facebook and other social media. The world gave us the title ‘The Social Networking Capital.’ Let’s trace the proofs for being so.
How social are we
According to the Social, Digital & Mobile in APAC in 2014 report, the Philippines is one of the most social nations in the Asia Pacific region. Here are the figures as of January 2014:
- 105,720,644 total population, 49% of which are urban dwellers
- 37,602,976 Internet users (36% Internet penetration)
- 34,000,000 active Facebook users (32% Facebook penetration)
- 106,987,098 active mobile subscriptions (101% mobile subscription penetration)
This is definitely higher than that of other Southeast Asian nations like Thailand, Taiwan, Malaysia and Vietnam. One of the reasons for the high Internet penetration is the availability of pre-paid and postpaid services as well as free data (for browsing and surfing) on specific services.
Our Internet usage indicators
Aside from being active Internet users, we are also fond of accessing the Internet through our mobile phones. Did you know that smartphone sales here in the Philippines reached 326% in 2012? Not only that, we prefer Samsung than Apple.
- 6 hours and 12 minutes – the average time that an Internet user spends using such daily through a laptop or desktop
- 2 hours and 48 minutes – the average time that a mobile Internet user spends using such daily
- 31% mobile Internet penetration
We can’t get enough of social networking sites. We are not using these sites for personal reasons. Actually, the social media has been instrumental in our collective efforts to battle the aftermath of natural disasters including Ondoy, Habagat, and Yolanda.
Our social media usage stats
Facebook is an all-time favorite, followed by Twitter. The social media penetration in the Philippines is 35% which means that 1 in every 10 Filipinos is using a social networking site. In particular, the majority of the Filipinos have a Facebook account although not all these accounts are active.
- LinkedIn – 39%
- Instagram – 42%
- Google+ – 69%
- Twitter – 81%
- Facebook – 97%
- Others – 98%
Further, the percentages of mobile users who use social media apps on their devices and who use location-based services are 62% and 29%, respectively. We spend an average of four hours and one minute on social media every day.
Evidently, social penetration is remarkably high, reaching 97%. The popularity of sharing photos through Facebook and Twitter, among other social sites, increased exponentially at around 55%. Did you know that the selfiest cities are Makati, Mandaluyong and Cebu, according to TIME magazine?
Our mobile usage stat
It was also forecasted that the Philippines will be a mobile-first country by fourth quarter of 2014. The Filipinos will use their mobile devices in accessing the Internet than a laptop or desktop. The Filipinos thereby are very active mobile users.
- 4 million total number of active mobile broadband subscribers
- 3.8% mobile broadband subscriptions
- 24 million active social media users who success social media through their mobile devices
- 23% mobile social penetration
- 1 in every 10 Filipinos is a mobile phone owner
- 93% of the smartphone users search for information through their phone
- 88% of the users research products through their phones
- 32% of the users made a purchase through their phones
- 39% smartphone penetration
These figures aren’t so surprising at all. Filipinos inherently adapt anything digital. In fact, the country is celebrating its 20th anniversary since it first witnessed the use of Internet connection. That’s how social we are, transcending beyond borders and into becoming boundary-less.
Source:
http://wearesocial.net/blog/2014/01/social-digital-mobile-apac-2014/
