Thai love affair with social media endures

Thai love affair with social media endures

Thailand remains in the top 10 worldwide for social media statistics on network usage and consumer adoption growth in 2017, says a Bangkok-based social media analytics developer.

Social networking has had a tremendous impact on users and brands in Thailand, said Kla Tangsuwan, chief executive of Thoth Zocial.

"Social media has increasingly become an important tool for business marketing and for business success," he said.

As of May 1, social media users in Thailand on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter were up an average of 20% year-on-year, rising to 47 million, 11 million and 9 million respectively.

Thailand has moved down slightly in the rankings in terms of Facebook users, to ninth in 2017 from eighth last year.

Bangkok also remains the world's biggest city for Facebook users in 2017 with 27 million users.

Chon Buri, Chiang Mai and Nakhon Ratchasima also have a strong Facebook contingent.

The times of day that Facebook users are most active on the site is during workdays and on Saturday from 6pm to 11pm.

Mr Kla said that about 2.5 billion messages were posted on social media platforms in Thailand in 2016, compared with 2.6 billion in 2015, as online communications ebbed during the mourning of the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej.

Pnern Asavavipas, managing director of OBVOC Co, a Thai social media research firm, said Thailand ranked fifth in terms of Facebook Messenger users with 26 million as of May 1, out of 724 million globally.

The number of Instagram users in Thailand totalled 11 million as of May, up 41% year-on-year, putting the country at 13th by user numbers.

Twitter's active users in Thailand numbered 9 million, a 70% surge from 3.1 million a year earlier.

Mr Kla said social media users here are not only numerous, but they are also advanced users.

Banks, telecoms, consumer goods makers and electronics firms, as well as the government, are active social media users, he said.

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