Close
  • Latest News
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
Read Down
Sign in
Close
Welcome!Log into your account
Forgot your password?
Read Down
Password recovery
Recover your password
Close
Search
Menu
Search
  • Latest News
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
More
    Home Latest News
    • Small Business

    Instant Messaging Continues to Grow, Led by Asia

    By
    Nathan Eddy
    -
    October 7, 2015
    Share
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Linkedin
      IM and TNS

      The popularity of instant messaging (IM) has soared over the past year, with a 12 percent rise in daily usage as more people opt for closed messaging platforms such as WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger and Viber. Chinese consumers are leading the way.

      More than half of Internet users worldwide (55 percent) are now using instant messaging every day, while 76 percent are using it on a weekly basis, according to a study of more than 60,000 Internet users worldwide from global research consultancy TNS.

      Facebook has maintained its position as the world’s favorite social platform; almost one third of global Internet users (30 percent) say they use it every day.

      Meanwhile WeChat dominates the market in China, with 68 percent daily usage, and 43 percent of WeChat’s user base using it to access information and services about a company.

      “Asia Pacific is an incredibly diverse region, and as such, local nuances are masked in a regional average,” Joseph Webb, global director at TNS, told eWEEK. “The real insight lies in the local market data. For example, IM use in Thailand has risen 40 percent since 2014, whilst in Australia the rise is smaller, at 10 percent.”

      Webb noted one of the reasons why IM is so strong in Asia compared to the West is that in western markets there are many consumers–particularly among the older generations–who remain loyal to legacy services like email.

      “For mobile-first markets like Malaysia, Indonesia and China, these habitual behaviors do not exist, making them much more open to new platforms like Line, WeChat or Kakao,” Webb said.

      While IM popularity is rising, traditional social media platforms are still holding strong, allowing content to go viral more quickly, the report noted. The challenge for brands is to create content that consumers actually want to share.

      “The huge growth in social, which has now expanded to older generations, has left many people looking for a more closed and private way to share content,” Webb said. “When it comes to IM, users can select the group of people they want to communicate with, what content they want to share and as a result, can expect to receive content that is more targeted. This is a far cry from public platforms like Twitter or Facebook.”

      He explained the real change in the future will be how brands use these platforms, noting that marketers are used to buying attention through paid advertising.

      “Now they have to earn it through creating shareable content that people want to view,” he said. “We’re likely to see even an greater fragmentation of IM as users continue to adopt different platforms to meet different needs.”

      Nathan Eddy
      A graduate of Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism, Nathan was perviously the editor of gaming industry newsletter FierceGameBiz and has written for various consumer and tech publications including Popular Mechanics, Popular Science, CRN, and The Times of London. Currently based in Berlin, he released his first documentary film, The Absent Column, in 2013.

      MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

      Android

      Samsung Galaxy XCover Pro: Durability for Tough...

      Chris Preimesberger - December 5, 2020 0
      Have you ever dropped your phone, winced and felt the pain as it hit the sidewalk? Either the screen splintered like a windshield being...
      Read more
      Cloud

      Why Data Security Will Face Even Harsher...

      Chris Preimesberger - December 1, 2020 0
      Who would know more about details of the hacking process than an actual former career hacker? And who wants to understand all they can...
      Read more
      Cybersecurity

      How Veritas Is Shining a Light Into...

      eWEEK EDITORS - September 25, 2020 0
      Protecting data has always been one of the most important tasks in all of IT, yet as more companies become data companies at the...
      Read more
      Big Data and Analytics

      How NVIDIA A100 Station Brings Data Center...

      Zeus Kerravala - November 18, 2020 0
      There’s little debate that graphics processor unit manufacturer NVIDIA is the de facto standard when it comes to providing silicon to power machine learning...
      Read more
      Apple

      Why iPhone 12 Pro Makes Sense for...

      Wayne Rash - November 26, 2020 0
      If you’ve been watching the Apple commercials for the past three weeks, you already know what the company thinks will happen if you buy...
      Read more

      eWeek has the latest technology news and analysis, buying guides, and product reviews for IT professionals and technology buyers. The site’s focus is on innovative solutions and covering in-depth technical content. eWeek stays on the cutting edge of technology news and IT trends through interviews and expert analysis. Gain insight from top innovators and thought leaders in the fields of IT, business, enterprise software, startups, and more.

      Facebook
      Linkedin
      RSS
      Twitter
      Youtube

      Advertisers

      Advertise with TechnologyAdvice on eWeek and our other IT-focused platforms.

      Advertise with Us

      Menu

      • About eWeek
      • Subscribe to our Newsletter
      • Latest News

      Our Brands

      • Privacy Policy
      • Terms
      • About
      • Contact
      • Advertise
      • Sitemap
      • California – Do Not Sell My Information

      Property of TechnologyAdvice.
      © 2021 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

      Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.

      ×