The time spent online globally has fallen to pre-pandemic levels, while social media use has increased, says a report conducted by Meltwater, a global social and media intelligence, and We Are Social, the socially-led creative agency.
The report named Digital 2023 showed out that that typical internet user globally has reduced their average daily internet use by 20 minutes over the past twelve months to 6 hours 37 minutes, equating to a year-on-year reduction of almost 5 percent.
However, time spent on social platforms has increased to more than 2½ hours per day — 40 minutes more than time spent watching broadcast and cable TV, according to the report.
Analysis of the data suggests that people are looking for more purposeful internet use, with a focus on quality over quantity.
The daily usage rate is a return to 2019 levels, before the COVID-19 pandemic had a profound impact on the world’s digital behaviours.
The report also showed that social platforms are claiming an ever greater share of the world’s search activity.
16- to 34-year-olds are now more likely to visit a social network when looking for information about brands than they are to use a search engine (48 percent vs. 45 percent), and half of the world’s social media users say that they actively visit social platforms to learn more about brands and see their content.
While the rise of TikTok search has already caught the attention of the media, the latest data suggest that Instagram is social media users’ preferred destination when researching things.
Meanwhile, the growing importance of social media is reflected in global advertising spend, with investment in social media ads more than doubling since the outbreak of COVID-19, to reach an estimated $226 billion in 2022.
Additional headlines in Digital 2023, which looks at social media, internet, mobile and ecommerce trends globally, include:
– There are 5.16 billion internet users in the world today, and 4.76 billion social media users.
– Average daily mobile time has increased by seven minutes per day over the past year, and the typical Android user now spends more than five hours per day using their smartphone, however:
– Computers still account for more than half of the time that people in North America and Europe spend using the internet.
– Ownership of cryptocurrencies is in decline: the share of internet users who own at least one form of digital currency fell by three percent between July and October.
– TikTok tops the global list of social media platforms when it comes to time spent per user on Android devices, followed by YouTube and Facebook.
“Brands that want to be competitive today need to stay ahead of trends, searching for and identifying them, in order to understand their impact on any given industry,” said Alexandra Saab Bjertnæs, Chief Strategy Officer at Meltwater.
“Consumers continue to spend more and more time on social media, and it’s clear that social will play an even more important role in the customer journey as users turn to platforms like TikTok and Instagram to guide their decision-making process,
“With more than 5 billion internet users today, it’s becoming more crucial than ever that brands deliver relevant, impactful, and purposeful content to capture attention and create value across digital channels,” he added.
We Are Social Group Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder Nathan McDonald said :” Social media’s influence on how we live our lives continues to grow. From shopping to connecting, entertaining to searching, it’s inextricably linked to our habits both on and offline.”
“It’s interesting to see internet use becoming more discerning – while being online is still incredibly important in our everyday lives, people rightly want to make sure it’s time well spent,
“Marketers and creators will have to work even harder to attract and retain people’s attention in 2023 – it’s never been more important to understand online culture in order to reach people in a relevant way,” he added.
Singapore-Malaysia-Philippines market specific findings:
For Singapore:
The city-state is ranked #4 globally in average daily time (5h 18 minutes) spent on mobile devices.
However, the average internet user, aged 16 to 64, in Singapore spends 2h 13 minutes on social media each day, which is lower than the global average of 2h 31 minutes.
Additionally, 61% of Singaporean internet users buy something online each week.
Other key findings, include:
Internet users in Singapore are concerned about personal data protection and misinformation:
38.1 percent of internet users in Singapore are concerned about how companies are using their personal data online, higher than the global average of 32.25 percent.
60.7 percent of adults in Singapore aged 18+ are concerned about what is real or fake on the internet, higher than the global average of 53.9 percent.
Compared to the global average, internet users in Singapore tends to consume more TV content via streaming but not as much video games or podcasts.
91.7 percent watch TV content via streaming services (e.g. Netflix) each month compared to the global benchmark of 90.9 percent.
When it comes to podcasts, only 16.4 percent listen to podcasts each week, below the global benchmark of 21.2 percent.
Internet users in Singapore spend an average of 52 minutes on a game console each day, lower than the global average of 1h 14 minutes.
Internet users in Singapore are early adopters of smart devices and wearables, with 33.3 percent of households owning at least one smart home device, compared to 14.2 of global households.
Meanwhile, 25.3 percent and 15.6 percent of internet users own a smartwatch and wristband device compared to the global average of 22.5 percent and 14.4 percent, respectively.
51 percent of internet users in Singapore scan QR codes on their mobile each month, well above the global average of 44.6 percent.
For Malaysia:
Specifically to Malaysia, the average internet user in Malaysia aged 16 to 64, spends 2h 47 minutes on social media each day, higher than the global average of 2h 31 minutes.
Internet users in Malaysia use more than 7 social media platforms on average – and they’re using it to learn more about brands (58.7 percent).
Other key findings, include:
40.9 percent of internet users in Malaysia use a banking, investment or insurance website or app each month, ahead of the global benchmark of 27.7 percent.
94.7 percent of internet users in Malaysia aged 16 to 64 watch TV content via streaming services (e.g. Netflix) each month compared to the global benchmark of 90.9 percent.
87.4 percent of internet users in Malaysia aged 16 to 64, play video games on any device, significantly higher than the global benchmark of 81.9 percent.
63.8 percent of adults aged 18+ in Malaysia are concerned about what is real or fake on the internet, higher than the global average of 53.9 percent.
Malaysia (77.7 percent) ranks 8th amongst countries with the highest reach of TikTok ads amongst adults.
For The Philippines:
The Philippines is the number #4 country in terms of time spent on social media (3h 43 minutes),
significantly higher than the global average of 2h 31 minutes.
Fillipinos are also avid consumers of vlogs and video games, ranking #1 for both.
Additionally, 23.4 percent of Filipino internet users own some form of cryptocurrency compared to the global benchmark of 11.9 percent, making them the third highest country to do so.
Other key findings, include:
95.8 percent of internet users in The Philippines play video games on any device, making it the #1 country to do so, ahead of the global benchmark of 81.9 percent.
They spend an average of 1h 29 minutes on a game console each day compared to the global average of 1h 14 minutes.
55.6 percent of internet users in The Philippines, aged 16 to 64, watch vlogs each week and are the largest consumer of such content, compared to other countries.
They are ranked #1 globally in terms of vlog consumption, significantly ahead of #2 Indonesia (33.3 percent) and the global benchmark of 25.5 percent.
97.9 percent watch TV content via streaming services (e.g. Netflix) each month compared to the global benchmark of 90.9 percent.
48.2 percent listen to music streaming services each week, ahead of the global benchmark of 39.1 percent.
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