Phl ranks 10th in global survey on Twitter account

MANILA, Philippines – The Philippines ranked 10th in the world in terms of the number of registered users of microblogging site Twitter, a study conducted by Paris-based social media monior Semiocast showed.

Semiocast said the number of Twitter accounts have reached half a billion as of June 2012, with the US leading in terms of registered users with more than 141.8 million for a share of 27.4 percent, followed by Brazil with 41.2 million or eight percent.

Japan ranked third in terms of registered users with a little over 34 million, United Kingdom ranked fourth with about 32 million, and Indonesia ranked fifth with close to 30 million.

India ranked sixth with about 16 million while Mexico placed seventh with 14 million and Canada ranked eighth with about 11 million.

The survey showed that the Philippines now has around 9.5 million registered users in the microblogging site, putting the country in the 10th spot in the worldwide rankings, trailing Spain and staying one step ahead of Turkey.

The global poll covered about 517 million Twitter profiles all over the world.

Orlando Vea, chief wireless advisor of Smart Communications Inc., said in a statement that hundreds of thousands of Filipinos trooped to Twitter to spread critical flood information, as well as to mobilize rescue and relief operations at the height of Tuesday’s intense rain and flooding all over the country.

“Even as the torrential rains rendered several families stranded and helpless, with flooded homes and without electricity, we saw how people found their mobile phones – and mobile Internet – especially useful to stay connected, tweeting for help for loved ones stuck elsewhere, and even for complete strangers trapped on their rooftops,” Vea said.

He pointed out that Filipinos have been increasingly using their mobile phones to access social media sites including Facebook and Twitter.

“This is certainly good news, but, frankly, not really surprising. Filipinos have always been active in social media and we are increasingly using mobile phones to tweet or post on Facebook,” he added.

Officially dubbed the “social media capital of the world” in 2011, the Philippines reportedly has around 93.9 percent of its 40-million strong Internet population on Facebook.

It surpassed more progressive countries in large part because of the affordability of gadgets and the accessibility of Internet services made available by local telcos.

Vea said Smart offers the most number of Android devices in the country ranging from entry-level smartphones to top-tier offerings.

Being able to take full advantage of Smart’s high-speed data connectivity, posting status updates and tweets are as easy as sending text messages – especially in critical times such as during disasters, he noted. –Lawrence Agcaoili (The Philippine Star)