Social media has officially taken control of most of our daily lives in Singapore.
For each passing minute, we feel compelled to check up on our news feeds, or even to post updates and photos of what we are doing at each waking moment.
It’s not surprising, considering that Singapore is home to the highest penetration of camera-enabled smartphones across the Asia-Pacific region.
Well, a leading global study of the digital attitudes and behaviours, Connected Life by Kantar TNS, has just published a new study about Instagram and Snapchat users in the Asia Pacific.
Singapore Is Number 3
According to their findings, Singapore ranks just behind Hong Kong and Malaysia in terms of penetration for social media apps Instagram and Snapchat, at 63% and 37% respectively.
Considering that we are one of the most connected nations in the world, I’m surprised that more people are not using these two apps.
Nonetheless, I’d say that these figures are quite representative of the situation on the ground. Talk to anyone around you, and chances are, everyone would have an Instagram account and have at least uploaded some pictures onto it.
The reverse is true for Snapchat. You will always have that one friend who is constantly updating their Snaps, recording every second as if it were their last, but for the rest, they really couldn’t care less.
Some Other Interesting Facts
Kantar TNS then went on to break down the figures within a press release.
While the figures for Snapchat may seem low, it is important to note that, compared to last year, users almost doubled from 19% previously, to 37% today.
With many Singaporeans now having more powerful smartphones, with equally good cameras, in their hands, people are exploring more visual ways to share their lives, and thus have started moving away from platforms such as Facebook.
Growth in Instagram was not as drastic, but there was still a steady increase from 2014, where figures were in the 51% range.
All this is not solely attributed to the IT savvy youth as well.
Dubbed the ‘Insta-Gran’, this refers to the new generation of seniors, aged 55 to 65, that have taken to Instagram and Snapchat. They make up a third of internet users in Singapore, and as many as 30% of them are on Instagram, while a respectable 10%, on Snapchat, as the lure of instantly sharing moments too has appealed to them.
Influencers And Celebrities Still Key To Marketers
Social media personalities with clout are still a more ‘trusted’ source of product information, as compared to something that is distributed from the brands themselves it seems, according to some 40% of young Singaporeans, aged 16 to 24.
While the older demographic still trusts friends and families, as more of them move online, these people will too gravitate towards user reviews as a source of information for their purchasing decisions.
The report cited the example of Daniel Wellington watches, which created a $200 million business by working with bloggers, celebrities and other influencers worldwide to get more than a million followers on Instagram – figures that are four times the following of other premium brands.
Local Brands Adopting A More Visual Aesthetic
Changing consumer habits have also forced businesses in Singapore to adopt a more visual approach to the way that they market their brands and products.
Take for example, the Singapore Tourism Board.
Their Instagram page @visit_singapore now attracts some 150,000 followers, and this was achieved through the use of beautifully curated content and images about Singapore.
Local fashion and lifestyle stores have also been able to forge strong local identities, and in the process cultivated an equally large and engaging audience as part of their efforts to reach out to more customers. Two examples of local businesses that have done this very well include Naiise (@naiise) and Collate (@collatethelabel)
Speaking of something visual, here’s a handy infographic by Connected Life to illustrate all of the above.
As the rest of us get older, the age in which Singaporeans are exposed to technology is getting younger every year, especially with initiatives such as Smart Nation.
Expect those percentages to grow next year, and there might even be some shocking figures.
Speaking of Instagram, follow us on @vulcanpost if you haven’t!
