WhatsApp tops the list of instant messaging (IM) apps, while Facebook remains the most popular social networking site in India with 51% of users logging on daily,  according to report by global research consultancy firm TNS. As per the findings of ‘Connected Life’ — a global study of the digital attitudes and behaviors of 60,500 internet users across 50 countries, 55 per cent are on instant messaging every day.

According to the Survey

• Facebook has maintained its position as the world’s favourite social platform with almost one third of global internet users (30 per cent) saying they use it every day and with usage in Asia Pacific (APAC) region much higher.
• India’s Facebook usage of 51 per cent, however, is far lower compared to some countries in APAC markets like Thailand (78 per cent), Taiwan (75 per cent), Hong Kong (72 per cent).
• Interestingly, India is the second largest base with over 125 million users for Facebook that has 1.49 billion users globally. The US has the highest number of Facebook users.
• In APAC, over three out of five internet users or 61 per cent are now using instant messaging every day, while 82 per cent are using it on a weekly basis
• The popularity of IM has soared over the past year, with a 12 per cent uplift in daily usage globally as more people opt for closed messaging platforms such as WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger and WeChat.

TNS India Executive Director Parijat Chakraborty said, “The social networking market of India is Facebook centric, which is fueling the adoption of Facebook Messenger also as the IM platform for private messaging. However, WhatsApp is by far the most popular IM platform in India.”

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He also added that “This new-found excitement of largely new mobile-internet users has made India one of the highest globally in average daily number of messages exchanged.”

TNS said While IM popularity is rising, traditional social media platforms are still holding strong, allowing content to go viral more quickly. The challenge for brands is to create content that consumers actually want to share.