<div><div>Global Web Index (GWI), on of the world’s largest multi-market research company specialising in online consumer behaviour, recently conducted a massive study relating to the mobile messaging and use of social media across the globe. The study, covering 32 markets and representing 90 per cent of the global internet audience, unveiled that conversations are now moving from traditional social networks towards mobile networking. </div><div> </div><div>The mobile messaging app audience continues to show a steady growth, with 46 per cent in the APAC region using these services. On the other hand, interaction on social networking sites is on a decline.</div><div> </div><div>“Mobile messaging tools have experienced substantial growth during this recent period, particularly amongst the younger generation. Social networks are now being treated more passively, meaning the number of people messaging friends on social networks is now declining. People see mobile messaging apps as an efficient way to communicate. We are expecting the number of mobile messaging users to continue to grow in the coming quarters,” stated Jason Mander, Head of Trends, GlobalWebIndex.</div><div> </div><div>According to GWI, the top reasons for this surge in usage is the free access, low data rates and the instant delivery of the messages via messaging/text apps.</div><div> </div><div><strong>The Indian Scenario</strong></div><div>In India there has been a 113 per cent increase in the number of people utilizing mobile messaging tools since 2013. According to GWI’s study, smartphones are vital to the internet users in India, where 79 per cent of the online population own a smartphone. Furthermore, users of mobile messengers are young, affluent and highly active online.</div><div> </div><div>In Q3 2014, 83 per cent of online Indians accessed the internet via a mobile, resulting in the increased popularity of mobile messaging apps. Top mobile messaging apps in India include WhatsApp, WeChat and Facebook Messenger. Among these, WeChat has experienced significant growth with an active user base increase of 2364 per cent in India, and 156 per cent globally, between Q1 2013 to Q3 2014. Even though WhatsApp currently remains the top messaging app in India, WeChat has quickly become a dominant messaging app globally, used by nearly a quarter (23 per cent) of the world’s Internet users, along with an impressive 39 per cent users within the APAC region actively using the app.</div></div>
