The Effect of Social Media in the Philippines
In the Philippines today, the social media has a big role to play in our society. Social media has so much to give to Filipino people. It helps people find ways to discover recent news or information. It connects family, friends, and people of like-minded to share our emotions, ideas, and expression. For the business, it creates and expands new opportunities with digital advertising.
In this article, we look at the effect of social media, and how it affects our daily life and business.
What is social media and how is it used in the Philippines?
Before we discuss the effect of social media, it’s better that we mention what social media is and how it is used by Filipinos.
Social media is a way of communication that all people can access through the use of the internet. It’s a combination of websites and applications, where people communicate, interact, and collaborate as if they do in a society.
It’s easy to understand if you compare it with old types of media (TV, radio, magazine, and newspaper), where none of this was possible. Because it is a very powerful tool now, even the old media have their own social media account.
As businesses do in real shops or billboards, they also use social media as a place to advertise and provide products and services to their customers.
Social media and SNS are similar but different
Facebook, and Twitter, are social media and SNS (social networking service). Two words can be confusing to some people. They are similar but different in the way of emphasizing their style of communication.
Social media (or sometimes social media platforms), is close to the image of old media. You would create various content, such as Facebook posts, tweets, blog articles, photos, and videos, and share it on the web. Social media advertisement is a way of marketing along with these contents, targeting the viewers. Little emphasis is put on the networking of users.
SNS, on the other hand, focuses on creating and expanding relationships between its users online. Users are encouraged to following certain topics, joining user communities, and becoming friends with one another through comments and likes.
The most popular social media in the Philippines is Facebook (in 2022)
Did you know that Filipinos are globally second place in spending a long time online? According to the Digital 2022 Report, we are a population of 76milion internet user and spends more than 10 hours a day, and that makes us a second country out of 196 countries in the world.
So, the question is, which platform exactly are we spending these 10 hours a day on? Here is the list of the TOP 4 social media that we use according to Statista.
Facebook & Facebook Messenger
This is definitely the most popular social media that all Filipino use. Facebook has 83 million users in the Philippines. That means 75% of total population is on this platform.
We can post our thoughts and ideas, as well as share photos and videos. Facebook Messenger can be used specifically to contact our friends and family.
TikTok
Trending globally, almost 36 million Filipino uses TikTok. It’s still a rather new SNS released in 2016 by a Chinese company, ByteDance. This short video SNS allows us to share pranks, stunts, tips, and various moments.
The interesting fact is that, for TikTok, 65% of the audience is female (35% is male). In comparison, it’s almost 50/50 for Facebook or YouTube.
Instagram stands in 3rd place with 18 million users. Similar to TikTok, popular among young female users (64%).
Instagram is also an SNS where you can share nice photos and videos. You can easily post all you captured in a moment on this site and it also applies multiple filters to your photos.
Twitter was founded in 2006, so along with Facebook (2004) and YouTube (2005), it has been around in our daily life for a while. 10 million users in the Philippines.
Originally, this SNS was used to share a short message called tweets. But, its features have expanded over time, now you are able to post photos, videos, or live tweets, as well as create a thread to casually share your cumulated ideas and knowledge.
Other social media in the Philippines
The list of SNS simply goes on, because today there are so many. There are some long-life SNS and new trending SNS.
- YouTube
- Skype
- Viber
- Discord
Now, that we have a good understanding of social media, let’s look at how it affects us.
The side-effects of social media on Filipino people
Social media has a big factor that can affect people, not only in the Philippines but also all over the world, especially young adults. Not only can it entertain and connect its users, it can also be beneficial to individuals and society if utilized to inform us about our health, or imminent disaster.
More benefits and positive effects…
Social media can help us enhance our communication skills and social connection. We can make new friends, exchange ideas, develop new interests, and experience new things through social media sites. Everyone is free of expressing what they feel and what is in our minds using networking sites. You can create the image or identity you want to project on the networking sites.
Some problems and issues related to social media
Generally speaking, social media is useful and beneficial. But, as much as we benefit from its use, we should also take note of some “side effects”. Here are some issues that we have captured locally and globally. Most of them are linked to our mental health and wellbeing.
Anxiety and depression
According to a survey done in the UK, seeing people having fun or on holiday, or watching heavily photoshopped images can lead to feelings of anxiety. Some may compare themselves to what they see on social media and feel left out (fear of missing out), or have low self-esteem.
This anxiety disorder, if not paid the necessary attention to, can lead to alcohol and substance abuse.
Poor sleep
Spending long hours on social media can lead to poor sleep. Sleep is essential to both our physical and mental health, as it keeps us away from an imbalance in our body and mind.
Aside from sleeping time, a person may scratch their time for interacting with family, or studying, which would also have a negative impact on their life and career.
Body image
This may be especially the case for types of social media like Instagram. Especially for female teenagers, it is almost toxic to see thin models with beautiful hair and skin, as almost being told that what matters is their appearances only.
It is something that advertisements should really care about when engaged in social media marketing.
Cyber-bullying
According to this article, “43.8 percent or two out of five Filipino children experience violence online, sexual violence or cyberbullying.” Considering that under the pandemic, classes are held online, it is a serious issue for everyone.
Revenge porn and “sextortion”
Getting to know someone over social media and starting a relationship is a natural thing. However, it could becomes a problem (or even involvement in crime) when this healthy relationship comes to an end.
To know more about how it is serious issue, we recommend this article.
What is the impact of social media on Filipino people’s life?
Now that we have looked at the effect of social media largely on the individual, let’s consider the impact of social media on our life.
politics
In the Philippines, the social media has a big factor that can help a politician to be known and promote their campaign. It can boost their name and help people to know more about the candidate they voted for.
As the post and photos on social media are certainly edited, the user should also be aware that it can be manipulative.
education
Being able to access information and knowledge from anywhere is the strength of social media, especially for Filipino living in remote places. Whereas educational opportunity was limited before the internet and social media, we are now able to learn virtually.
community
Social media has a large impact on our community. It can help people to build a strong relationships and help to have a connection. It can be used to share information on gatherings and events.
But, because it is sometimes addictive, the time that we spent for the community might be replaced by time on SNS for the young generations.
business
Social media now has a big role in all kinds of business whether it is small or big. Social media is a world of advertising, marketing, and online communication. Successful use of social media will helps businesses to expand their market opportunity and bring many customers to their products and services. In terms of promotion, it can also save the cost of printing advertisements, if used strategically.
The world with social media is still evolving
For Filipino society and business, social media is still a new thing. In this article, we have explored some effects and impacts on it our daily life. But, because this media is still in its development, there is so much space for utilizing it for a better future. To know more about social media marketing, please read our other article.
If you need more specific advice for your social media marketing needs, feel free to contact us for a free consultation.
