Southeast Asian social media platform rankings in 2024: quickly mastering the Southeast Asian market

Southeast Asia, one of the world's fastest-growing regions, boasts a population of over 650 million and a rapidly expanding social media landscape. With increasing internet penetration, social media platforms have become essential battlegrounds for cross-border businesses looking to enhance brand visibility. Understanding the unique characteristics of these platforms is crucial for effective brand marketing. This article provides an in-depth analysis of the most popular social media platforms across Southeast Asian countries in 2025.

Indonesia

As of January 2025, Indonesia had approximately 212 million internet users, accounting for about 74.6% of the country's total population.

1. Dominant platforms: WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and Telegram have a very high user base in Indonesia and have become the main platforms for daily social interactions. These five platforms meet the needs of a wide range of Indonesian users by providing rich social and entertainment content.

2. Local Forum: Kaskus, as the largest local online community in Indonesia, demonstrates a strong demand for localized content and is also an important venue for local cultural expression.

3. Large scale of e-commerce: According to reports, the scale of Indonesia's e-commerce is expected to reach US$62 billion in 2023, making it the largest e-commerce market in Southeast Asia.

The Philippines

As of January 2025, the Philippines had around 97.5 million internet users, representing approximately 83.8% of its total population.

1. Dominant Platforms: The top five social media platforms in the Philippines are Facebook, Facebook Messenger, Instagram, TikTok, and X (Twitter). Facebook is the most popular social platform in the Philippines.

2. Local forums: There are some smaller community forums in the Philippines, such as PinoyExchange and SkyscraperCity's Philippine sub-forum, which may be popular among specific interest groups. However, in comparison, the user base and influence of these forums are not as large as those of major social media platforms.

3. High proportion of young people: The average age of the Philippines is 25.1 years old, and the proportion of people under 35 years old is as high as 64.1%, which is the highest proportion of young people among these Southeast Asian countries. TikTok is the most popular software among the younger generation in the Philippines, attracting a large number of young users with its short videos and high interactive nature.

Thailand

As of January 2025, Thailand recorded about 65.4 million internet users, accounting for roughly 91.2% of its population.

1. Mainstream platforms: The top five social media platforms in Thailand are Facebook, LINE, WhatsApp, TikTok and Instagram, among which Facebook and LINE dominate social media in Thailand. Facebook is widely used for social networking and brand marketing, while LINE is popular among Thai users for its instant messaging function and sticker culture.

2. Local forum: Pantip is an online community popular among Thai users, where users discuss various topics such as entertainment and daily life.

3. Social e-commerce is developing well: Affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, more consumers are gradually accepting the idea of conducting business directly as a retailer on social media platforms or using social media as a platform for promotion. The popularity of social e-commerce in Thailand is growing steadily year by year. Merchants who want to enter the Thai market can try this track.

Vietnam

As of January 2025, Vietnam had approximately 79.8 million internet users, with a penetration rate of about 78.8%.

1. Mainstream platforms: The five major social media platforms in Vietnam are Facebook, Zalo, TikTok, Messenger and Instagram. Zalo is a local instant messaging application in Vietnam with a huge local user base, equivalent to WeChat in our country.

2. Local forums: For example, VOZ Forum (vozForums) is very popular among Vietnamese netizens. It is a discussion platform for technology and life topics. In addition, Lotus is an emerging social networking platform supported by the Vietnamese government and is also a forum that Vietnamese users love to use recently.

3. Positive government attitude: Compared with other Southeast Asian countries, the Vietnamese government is more active in the management and participation of social media, and many platforms can receive government support. However, the Vietnamese government's supervision of Internet content is relatively stricter than other Southeast Asian countries.

Malaysia

As of January 2025, Malaysia reported around 34.9 million internet users, making up about 97.7% of its total population.

1. Mainstream platforms: The top five social media platforms in Malaysia are WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram, Telegram and Messenger.

2. Local Forum: Lowyat Forum is one of the largest online forums in Malaysia, covering multiple fields such as technology, finance and life.

3. Multilingualism: Malaysian social media users often use multiple languages on their platforms, including Malay, English, Mandarin and Tamil, a language diversity that is less common in other regions.

Centralizing Multi-Platform Social Media Information in Southeast Asia: SaleSmartly

SaleSmartly, an omnichannel customer communication platform, is transforming how businesses manage cross-platform customer interactions through its powerful information integration capabilities. SaleSmartly seamlessly brings together major social platforms, including WeChat, WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, Instagram, LINE, and TikTok, into one unified smart inbox. This allows businesses to manage and respond to messages from all channels quickly and efficiently.

Instead of constantly switching between multiple devices or apps, companies can centralize all communications within SaleSmartly. Every team member can view and handle customer inquiries, order questions, and after-sales requests from various social media accounts and platforms in one place with SaleSmartly. This creates a smart, “one-stop” customer service experience that ensures full coverage across all networks.

Centralize all your multi-channel messages in one place

In other words, when operating in Southeast Asian markets and facing inquiries from multiple social media channels, SaleSmartly ensures seamless communication with potential customers. No matter which platform they use to reach your brand, you can respond swiftly, helping convert more prospects into loyal customers.

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