Singapore – Singaporeans’ social media app of choice is messaging platform WhatsApp, according to a digital report released by creative agency We Are Social and social media and intelligence firm Meltwater.
Data from the report mainly suggests that WhatsApp takes the top spot in Singapore for both favourite (27.2%) and most used social media platform (74.7%) with local users clocking an average of 978 sessions per month in its Android app.
Notably, the report finds that Singaporeans are spending an average of 2 hours and 14 minutes a day on social media across an average of 6.9 social media platforms each month, with 5.13 million social media user identities in Singapore which equates to 85% of the nation’s population.
Aside from WhatsApp, Facebook ranked second place as favourite (16.7%) and most used (72.7%) social media platform in Singapore, while TikTok tops the spot for most time spent in the Android app with a total of 33 hours, 23 minutes per month. TikTok was the most downloaded app in Singapore in 2023, followed by messaging app Telegram and Bytedance-owned video editing tool Capcut.
In terms of how they use their social media platforms, the report said that Singaporeans like to stay connected with messaging (97.5%) being the number one type of app or website they visit, followed by social networks (95.8%). Aside from keeping in touch with family and friends (43.4%), filling in spare time (35.5%) and reading the news (32.6%) are the main reasons that more than a third use social media.
Talking about these findings, James Honda-Pinder, head of strategy at We Are Social Singapore, said, “While Instagram may be the favoured social media app in other markets, in Singapore we see social media users favour platforms that offer focused utility. For connection and increasingly for business communication, WhatsApp is a clear leader.”
“Elsewhere, TikTok continues to its staggering rise, as it becomes a bonafide platform for search and discovery, not just entertainment. In an era of fragmented attention where brands are vying to capture the attention of consumers, TikTok’s platform continues to show strong engagement with average usage amounting to more than 33 hours a month – that’s more than one whole day on the app. It’s a rocketship”, he added.
