Why the Philippines Is Still the Social Media Capital of the World?

The Philippines still reigns as the social media capital of the world.

And the massive changes brought about by the pandemic did not change the fact that Filipinos are the main users of social media.

This article will look into the reasons why that is the case and also go through the effects that it has on Filipino society.

Getting the Crown

It was back in 2015 when the Philippines was dubbed as the social media capital of the world.

Based on research, Filipinos were spending an average of 4 hours each day on social media, mainly on Facebook!

To those unfamiliar with the country that may have been a surprising piece of news.

The Philippines is still a developing country and its infrastructure, including those for telecommunications and the internet, is behind compared to its richer neighbors.

But to close observers of the Philippines, the news was not totally unexpected.

Before being hailed as the number one social media user in the world, the Philippines was also the number one country when it comes to text messages.

From Texting to Social Media

As early as 2001, the Philippines has already led the world when it comes to texting.

That was when cellphones were not a common thing in the country.

30 million text messages were being sent back then and that was more than all of Europe combined.

Part of the reason why text or SMS was so popular to Filipinos was its relatively low cost.

Compared to calling someone using cellphones, more Filipinos can afford to send out a few messages each day.

The jump from texting to social media may not seem obvious at first but when one considers the features of Facebook, which is the platform of choice by Filipinos, it’s easier to figure out.

Facebook has a chat feature that makes it easy to massage one’s Friends on the platform. Filipinos took advantage of this feature early on.

As smartphones became the norm and cheap.

Android phones became relatively affordable, people started using social media to message each other instead of texting.

Why the Philippines Is Still Social Media Crazy?

But what are the reasons behind the Filipino obsession with social media?

Experts are pointing several reasons:

Reason #1: Tech-Savvy Filipinos

Filipinos are particularly tech-savvy.

Filipinos are not averse to using new technology and to adapting it to fit their lifestyle.

That became obvious with how the country used text messaging on such a massive scale when cellphones became common.

Learning how to utilize social media was an easy thing for most Filipinos. 

Once they have learned the basic concepts of it, they used it regularly.

Reason #2: Filipinos are Outgoing

As a people, Filipinos are very open and outgoing and they like to share what’s going on with their lives.

Which is also a reason why I love Filipinos and I like staying in the Philippines.

With social media, they can share the latest things that are going on with their lives with the rest of the world. 

Facebook is well-suited for this.

It allows the posting of pictures and videos that can be broadcasted to all other nurses of the platform wherever they are.

Reason #3: Filipinos Are Family Oriented

Now, this might seem like an odd addition to a list of reasons why a country is crazy about social media but it ties in with another fact about the Philippines.

The country is a leading exporter of labor. There are millions of Filipinos who work in other countries.

On top of the millions of Overseas Filipino Workers (OFW), millions have migrated to other countries mainly to the United States.

When you factor in the family-oriented nature of the Filipinos, it’s predictable that they would use social media to stay connected.

Facebook has become a fast and easy way of staying connected no matter where they are in the world.

Reason #4: Cheap Smartphones

All the reasons named earlier would not have turned the Philippines into the social media capital of the world if not for the proliferation of relatively cheap smartphones.

You can buy low-end smartphones for as low as $50-$60. Used phones are even cheaper.

The availability of low-priced phones has made it possible even for low-income Filipinos to gain access to social media. 

Reason #5: Facebook

Another major reason why Filipinos became so immersed in social media is Facebook itself.

Based on research, an astounding 96% of the country’s more than 70 million internet users report that they have used the social media platform once a month.

For most Filipinos, Facebook is the main access point to the internet.

Combine that with the fact that mobile service providers have allowed users to access Facebook without any additional charges (with limited features) is a major explanation why it has become so popular. 

The Effect of the Pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused massive disruptions around the world. 

The Philippines implemented one of the longest and the most drastic lockdowns in the world as a means of stopping the spread of the virus.

The pandemic has a massive effect on the economy as millions of people had to stop working.

Instead of having a negative impact on the way that Filipinos used social media, the restrictions enhanced it even further.

Because travel was greatly restricted, people used social media, even more, to stay connected and to post about their experiences.

Many businesses have also started going online because of the pandemic. 

The switch from buying things from brick and mortar stores has been an ongoing one but it has been accelerated by the pandemic.

This change is even more significant when one considers how much Filipinos love going to malls.

Even with the pandemic making major changes in the lives of Filipinos everywhere, it seems that has not affected how they use social media.

In fact, it has even enhanced it.

As long as social media platforms provide a convenient and fast way of communicating and connecting with other.

Then the Philippines will be a leading social media user if not the main one.