In 2019, it was estimated that about 5.3 million residents accessed the Internet, indicating a penetration rate of 91 percent. However, since most users access social media platforms over a mobile device, mobile internet penetration was more significant. In 2018, the mobile internet penetration was only slightly less than the usual one at around 78 percent. Smartphones are the preferred device for accessing the mobile Internet. Therefore, it is not surprising that the penetration rate of smartphones was almost as high and about 62 percent of the owners regularly visit a social media platform. YouTube, WhatsApp and Facebook are considered to be the largest social media platforms exceeding penetration rates of 80 percent.
Social media platforms, however, are just tools to reach people. The content on the platform and the information they provide is what makes them valuable. While WhatsApp is mainly used for chatting privately and in groups, YouTube and Facebook offer a variety of options to publicly express private opinions. As soon as a user or a profile attracts a larger audience, the profile itself becomes of interest to companies and society. It is therefore even more important to know the user activities and the largest influencer or influencing group within the desired industry. For example, “The Smart Local” was ranked the most clicked online blog in March 2019. Even though their page is not technically social media, they still use it to attract potential readers and to promote their webpage. By January 2020, they had about half a million followers on Facebook. On the other hand, Xiaxue, a Singaporean blogger, only uses social media platforms to promote her personal brand. By blogging about life, fashion and local issues she gained about 1.6 million followers and has now earned jobs in mainstream media and sponsorship deals from many companies keen to tap into her audience reach
