Indonesians Love Social Media: Here's Why

Most Indonesians, or 67.6%, access the internet for social media. According to a survey by the Ministry of Communication and Informatics (Kementerian Kominfo) and the Katadata Insight Center (KIC), the majority use social media to facilitate daily communication and interaction.

This survey reveals that 78.6% of respondents stated that their primary reason for using social media is to aid communication and interaction in their daily lives. Furthermore, 64.3% said that friends or acquaintances also use the same social media platforms.

Other reasons for using social media include: following and knowing the status, activities, and news of friends/acquaintances (35.4%); meeting new people and forming groups with shared interests (19.5%); the availability of attractive features (20.8%); and sharing personal information and activities (17.6%). A further 1.1% of respondents cited other reasons.

The survey also shows that the Indonesian public spends the most time on WhatsApp and TikTok. Regarding social media usage, the survey found that almost all respondents access WhatsApp. Meanwhile, TikTok has become quite popular in the last year.

TikTok's popularity is evident in its usage figures. Last year, 16.7% of respondents accessed TikTok, while this year the figure reached 29.8%. This phenomenon is also reflected in the average duration of use. 47.4% of respondents use TikTok for more than 2 hours a day, surpassing Facebook and Instagram.

Meanwhile, WhatsApp is the app used for the longest duration per day. In fact, 72.5% use WhatsApp for more than 2 hours a day.