Facebook accounted for the highest share within the social media market in the Philippines in 2024. Video streaming platform, YouTube, follows at 24 percent. Demographics of Facebook users Over the years, the Philippines has been dominating the Facebook landscape, ranking among markets with the largest audience size. The platform's user demographic is mainly composed of users between the ages of 18 and 34 years old, although a fair share of older people also use Facebook. Over the years, the social media channel has moved beyond simply a platform to connect with other internet users but has also established online marketplaces for small-scale entrepreneurs as well as shaping political perspectives, especially during elections. Facebook advertising As Facebook grows within this select group of users, it prompts social media marketing or social advertising to use that time and screen space to promote various products and services. In fact, the Philippines was one of the largest Facebook advertising audiences in Asia in 2024, with almost an equal share of ad audiences across genders.

It was estimated that by 2029, over 95 million Filipinos will become social network users. Considering the forecasted population of around 119 million, this highlights the key role of social media among Filipino internet users.

Is the Philippines the social media capital?
The Philippines have been called the social media capital of the world because of their extraordinarily high usage time of about three hours per day. Facebook, TikTok, and Instagram have emerged as the leading platforms used monthly by Filipino internet users. Additionally, Filipinos were known as early technology adopters, as well as being highly internet-savvy.

How are the Philippines able to improve its accessibility?
While Filipino online users continue to ride the wave of internet trends, the current network infrastructure still needs improvement. The archipelago consists of around seven thousand islands, making it challenging for the government to provide basic connectivity for all. As of 2022, it was estimated that there were about 56 percent of Filipinos had internet access. Although this figure was seen to improve in the succeeding years, measures to speed up the internet connection speed in the Philippines should be laid out to cater to the population’s needs.

As of the third quarter of 2024, Facebook was the most used social media platform in the Philippines, as stated by about 95 percent of respondents. Facebook Messenger follows, with about 93 percent of Filipinos stating they used the messaging app. Facebook as the top social media in the Philippines In the Philippines, Facebook is not only considered a social media platform, but also as a primary source of news and a platform for e-commerce companies to reach out to their potential consumers. It is perhaps unsurprising how the app dominated the social media market in the country, as seen in the growing number of Filipino Facebook users. Reasons for increasing social media usage As a country divided by over seven thousand islands, the constant need for interaction has been driving the growing number of social network users in the Philippines. This is also an important platform for families with members working overseas and those who have already emigrated abroad.

As of the third quarter of 2024, internet users in the Philippines spent an average of 8.52 hours accessing the internet on various devices, according to a global survey. In terms of devices, most Filipinos have used their mobile phones to surf the web. Internet usage of Filipinos Being the population with the most time spent using the internet in the region, Filipino internet users have been taking advantage of the ease of communication and access to information and entertainment that the internet offers. Aside from just browsing the web, accessing social media has been popular among a large share of the Filipino population. As of the third quarter of 2023, Meta platforms such as Facebook and Instagram, along with TikTok, were the most used social media platforms in the country. These platforms were used to connect with friends and family, and to access news and information, stream video content, and find products and services to purchase. Level of internet security in the Philippines Since most activities have been digitalized, cybersecurity threats and online fraud have been a growing concern among internet users. In the Philippines, over 39 million web threats have been detected in 2022. Among those who shop on social media, product fraud was identified as the most common fraud type, along with non-delivery of products or services and payment fraud. To address this, the national government amended its cybersecurity laws to ensure better security of internet users in the Philippines.

According to a Rakuten Insight survey conducted in the Philippines in February 2023, around 70 percent of respondents stated that they used Facebook the most for their social commerce transactions in the last 12 months. TikTok followed, with 53 percent of respondents using it for online shopping. The same survey indicated that about 37 percent of Filipino consumers shopped via social media.

As of the third quarter of 2024, 36 percent of respondents in the Philippines stated that Facebook was their favorite social media platform. This was followed by Facebook Messenger and TikTok.

According to a survey on online activities of children in the Philippines, 97 percent of respondents who utilize social media weekly were those aged 16 to 17 years. The same survey revealed that the majority of respondents accessed the internet from their home.

According to a survey on social media influencers conducted by Rakuten Insight in May 2023, 92 percent of respondents aged 16 to 24 years old from the Philippines stated that they follow an influencer on social media. An average of 88 percent of the total respondents were following a social media influencer.

The social media penetration in the Philippines was estimated at 74.72 percent in 2022, or equivalent to about 84 million people using a social network. The penetration rate of social media in the country was estimated to continue increasing in the following years.

Social media in the Philippines The Philippines is an archipelagic country, which poses logistical problems for social interaction and communication between residents from the various islands. Social networks could not only help the residents to connect with friends and family living far but also serve as a timely source for news or even purchasing products and services. Among the most well-known social networks, Facebook remains in the lead in Philippines, with a penetration rate of about 96 percent.

Digitalization and economic growth

Digital adaption in the Philippines has proven to contribute greatly to the growth of the digital economy, contributing about nine percent to the country’s GDP. Across sectors, telecommunication services, professional and business services, and e-commerce were the leading components in this industry. Since social media usage is not only limited to communication and entertainment purposes, social commerce can also be expected to continue driving the e-commerce sector.

According to a Rakuten Insight survey conducted in the Philippines in February 2023, about 78 percent of respondents aged 45 to 54 years stated that they often made purchases via Facebook in the last 12 months. Meanwhile, the younger generation chose to buy their products through TikTok, as stated by around 67 percent of Filipinos aged 16 to 24 years.

According to a survey conducted on digital news in the Philippines between January and February 2024, 61 percent of respondents stated that they used Facebook as a news source. Other popular social media platforms for consuming news were YouTube and Facebook Messenger, which were used by 45 percent and 26 percent of respondents, respectively.

According to a Rakuten Insight survey conducted in the Philippines in February 2023, clothes were the most purchased products on social media, as stated by around 71 percent of Filipino respondents. Bags and shoes were the second most popular items bought on social platforms, according to about 52 percent of respondents.

According to a survey on social media influencers conducted by Rakuten Insight in May 2023, around 86 percent of respondents from the Philippines stated that they followed at least one influencer on social media. By comparison, 12 percent of respondents in the country did not.

How much time do people spend on social media? As of 2024, the average daily social media usage of internet users worldwide amounted to 143 minutes per day, down from 151 minutes in the previous year. Currently, the country with the most time spent on social media per day is Brazil, with online users spending an average of three hours and 49 minutes on social media each day. In comparison, the daily time spent with social media in the U.S. was just two hours and 16 minutes. Global social media usageCurrently, the global social network penetration rate is 62.3 percent. Northern Europe had an 81.7 percent social media penetration rate, topping the ranking of global social media usage by region. Eastern and Middle Africa closed the ranking with 10.1 and 9.6 percent usage reach, respectively. People access social media for a variety of reasons. Users like to find funny or entertaining content and enjoy sharing photos and videos with friends, but mainly use social media to stay in touch with current events friends. Global impact of social mediaSocial media has a wide-reaching and significant impact on not only online activities but also offline behavior and life in general. During a global online user survey in February 2019, a significant share of respondents stated that social media had increased their access to information, ease of communication, and freedom of expression. On the flip side, respondents also felt that social media had worsened their personal privacy, increased a polarization in politics and heightened everyday distractions.

According to a Rakuten Insight survey conducted in the Philippines in February 2023, about 37 percent of respondents stated that they regularly shopped on social media in the past 12 months. In comparison, around 11 percent of respondents had never purchased items on social media platforms.

According to a survey among Gen Z consumers from 2023, the most used social media platform type was instant messengers in China, Indonesia, and Malaysia. Social networks like Facebook were the most popular among Gen Z in Vietnam and Thailand, with 83 and 78 percent of the respondents using it regularly in 2023. About Gen Z consumers in Asia Gen Z consumers are one of the largest cohorts of consumers worldwide. According to a survey, social media websites and apps were widely used product research sources for Gen Z consumers. In China, various consumer electronics were popular among Gen Z consumers, and nearly 87 percent had smartphones in 2022. Popularity of TikTok among Gen Z TikTok is a video-sharing app based in China and saw a massive growth in the number of users in the Asia-Pacific region. About 29 percent of Gen Z respondents in Thailand had spent more than two to four hours a day on TikTok. The advertising reach of TikTok in Asian countries was relatively high, especially in Malaysia, Vietnam, and Thailand. With the rise of social commerce, shopping on TikTok is also gaining traction. However, most consumers in the Asia-Pacific region still research inside and outside the app or switch apps while shopping.

According to a survey on social media influencers conducted by Rakuten Insight in May 2023, 80 percent of females and 80 percent of male respondents from the Philippines stated that they followed at least one influencer on social media. By comparison, less than four percent of respondents from both genders said that they do not know what/who an influencer is.

According to a Rakuten Insight survey conducted in the Philippines in February 2023, around 66 percent of female and 77 percent of male respondents stated that they shopped via Facebook in the last 12 months. The same survey revealed that clothing was the most popular purchased item among all genders on social media platforms.

During the first quarter of 2023, internet users in Brazil spent an average of three hours and 49 minutes per day on social media. Nigeria and the Philippines also reported high usage levels. By comparison, internet users in Japan spent less than 50 minutes per day on social media. Low levels of daily usage were also recorded in South Korea and the Belgium.

As of January 2023 social network Facebook was ranked first worldwide in terms of active users with almost three billion MAU. Other popular social media include mobile messaging platforms YouTube and WhatsApp, as well as social content sharing networks such as Instagram and social video platform TikTok.

Most social networks are accessible through multiple platforms, but many popular social media started out as mobile apps, demonstrating the growing trend of mobile first development. Examples include Instagram, which initially was launched as an iOS photo editing and discovery app as well as mobile social messenger, as well as TikTok, which recorded 23.7 million downloads worldwide via the Google Play Store alone in June 2023.

Social networking does not only enable users to connect with other people but also with brands and celebrities. Social media has also become a growing source of news for internet users in many countries.

According to a survey on social media influencers conducted by Rakuten Insight in May 2023, 72 percent of females and 62 percent male respondents from the Philippines stated that they had purchased an item or product because an influencer endorsed it. The same survey revealed that they were convinced by the promotion from the influencer to buy a product.