More than half of South African adult cellphone users living in cities and towns are using WhatsApp on their phones.<\/p>\n
This is according to research conducted by World Wide Worx and Fuseware into the use of social media and instant messaging (IM) on cellphones in South Africa.<\/p>\n
In an update of the SA Social Media Landscape 2014 report, released this week, it is revealed that the WhatsApp instant messaging app is used by at least 10.6-million South African adults on their phones.<\/p>\n
The survey was conducted among a nationally representative sample of adult cellphone users living in cities and towns. The sample frame represents approximately 20-million adults.<\/p>\n
The findings come as Facebook announces its acquisition of WhatsApp for $19-billion \u2013 a move that will consolidate its domination of both social media and IM.<\/p>\n
The survey showed that Facebook remains the dominant social network on phones, with 45% \u2013 or 9-million South Africans \u2013 using it on their mobile devices at the end of 2013.<\/p>\n
Total Facebook use in South Africa was at about 11-million at the end of 2013, putting it marginally ahead of WhatsApp.<\/p>\n
Future expectations expressed by respondents indicate that WhatsApp will rise to 63% penetration in the next 12-18 months, while Facebook\u2019s mobile penetration will rise more moderately, to 53%.<\/p>\n
The previous darling of the local IM market, Mxit, remains stable, and is used by 25% of adults, with the figure expected to rise to 29% in the next 12-18 months.<\/p>\n
BlackBerry Messenger (BBM) also continues to grow, and is now used by 21% of adults, with the figure potentially reaching 28% if BlackBerry is able to maintain its handset sales momentum in South Africa.<\/p>\n
Twitter has reached 20% of the adult market, with expectations of it rising to 30% in the next 12-18 months.<\/p>\n
The dark horse is Google+, which was shown last year to have low usage in terms of users posting content \u2013 fewer than half-a-million users had done so \u2013 but has an exceptionally high user base: 32% of adults say they use it on their phones. However, many respondents confuse the Google search app with the Google+ social networking app.<\/p>\n
Two up-and-coming social apps also appear in the survey: Cape Town-based 2Go now has 8% penetration, expected to rise to 14%, while Chinese service WeChat, launched in South Africa in mid-2013, has reached 5% of the market, and is expected to rise to 13%.<\/p>\n
The social and IM market is characterized by a strong urban-rural divide, with WhatsApp used by 61% of urban dwellers, compared to 37% outside urban areas. The survey does not include \u201cdeep rural\u201d users living outside cities and towns.<\/p>\n
Age is also a major differentiator, especially among Facebook and Mxit users. Facebook has 58% penetration among the under-25, 45% among those aged 26-45, and 25% among the over-45s.<\/p>\n
Mxit penetration drops dramatically through the age groups, from 43% to 21% to only 8%. WhatsApp is more spread out, with 58% and 56% penetration, respectively, among the under-25s and 26-45s.<\/p>\n
It drops to 38% among over-45s. For both Facebook and WhatsApp, penetration among over-45s is now higher than overall penetration had been a year previously.<\/p>\n
The report also shows significant differences in social media and IM use according to educational levels, but other demographic factors, like gender and income, have less impact.<\/p>\n
Shock at Whatsapp\u2019s $19 billion pricetag<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n Is WhatsApp the biggest IM in SA?<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n