Movies, music most shared on social by developing nations

MANILA, Philippines – Entertainment news and opinion, particularly on music and movies, are the most common topics shared by social networking users in emerging and developing nations.

A Pew Research Center study, which looked at the online activities of people in 30 emerging and developing countries, found that 72% of Internet users in these areas share items on music and movies on social media.

The study attributes this trend to the dominance of young social media users. Among adult Internet users, a big majority fall between the ages of 18 and 34. In the Philippines, for example, 98% of adult Internet users are under this age bracket.

“The 18- to 34-year-olds are more likely to say they use social networks to share views about music and movies than those 35 and older,” the study says.

“Music and movies” dominate in 26 out of the 30 countries surveyed. Exceptions were noted in at least 3 nations:

• In Tunisia, majority of its Internet users share their views on products they use (75%)
• In Lebanon, majority of its Internet users share their views on politics (75%)
• In Ghana, majority of its Internet users share their views on sports (71%)

Also religion

In the Philippines, “music and movies” and “sports” also take the two top spots of the survey. But surprisingly, “religion” comes third at 26%.

The Philippines is considered a predominantly Catholic country. Based on the 2010 census, around 80% of the population are Roman Catholics.

Religion is also the third most common topic among social media users in Malaysia and in some African countries.

But elsewhere in Asia, as well as in Eastern Europe and Latin America, religion is the least discussed topic on social media.

The survey was conducted in the selected countries between April and May of 2014. In the Philippines, a sample size of 1,008 was used in the survey.

PH as social media capital

The study also confirmed the earlier established fact that the Philippines is the “social media capital of the world.” About 93% of adult Internet users access social networking sites – the highest among all the countries in the survey, according to the study.

This is despite the fact that only 42% in the country access the Internet at least occasionally. The study also shows that only 22% have a working computer in their household, while only 20% own a smartphone.

For Filipinos, the rise of Internet cafés in the country has paved the way for more online access. A study by the Asian Institute of Journalism and Communication has found that more Filipinos actually access the Web from an Internet café than at home, school, or office. – Rappler.com