Chikka Corporate

Pinoys now chat online more than email – Chikka

June 8, 2009

Social networking together with instant messaging (IM) or chat have overtaken email as the top reasons people go online.

Chikka.com, creators of the popular Internet gateway to texting mobile phones announced some insights on online habits of users nationwide gathered from the Nielsen Media Index 3rd Quarter of 2008 survey. Conducted in partnership with Chikka, the study revealed that Internet users in Metro Manila ranked chatting second only to visiting social networking sites as a more frequent online activity. Sending email ranked lowest among other online activities which included downloading content and playing online games. Not surprisingly, “chat” was the No. 1 reason Chikka users surveyed said they were online.

“When Chikka started in 2001, email was the primary reason folks accessed the Net and Internet penetration was only 2%. On the other hand, due to Filipinos’ propensity to send text messages, mobile use was growing very rapidly. Our vision at the time was to enable mobile users to enjoy chat with folks who were online, essentially provide a convergence of web and mobile that the largely mobile population can find very useful.” said Chito Bustamante, Chikka Chief Executive Officer (CEO).

Currently, Internet penetration in the Philippines is estimated at 28%. The rankings of top online activities, was rated by a total of 8,000 survey respondents in 22 key urban cities nationwide. Results indicate that Filipinos are becoming more at ease with relations via social networks and push the growing use of other popular web applications.

“By no small measure, Chikka has promoted the benefits of IM use to mobile folk, giving them IM accounts from where they too could send free text messages. Internet penetration continues to grow, thanks to cheaper and more accessible broadband, and especially wireless broadband that’s enabling more youth to go online,” added Bustamante.

In the survey, 47% of respondents in Metro Manila reported that they have used the Internet in the past year, while the remaining 53% said that they have never used the Internet. Social networking ranked first as a top online activity for Metro Manila-based Internet users. Meanwhile, the most frequently online are Filipinos within the 15 to 19 age group, who go online daily for at least five hours. The most common place for Internet access as identified by 50% of the respondents are Internet cafes, closely followed by homes at 32% with work and school having the lowest percentage of Internet users.

“And just like mobile did, we see the growth of Internet even as we speak, vastly impacting and altering our culture. This inspires us to ensure that we’re constantly able to provide the global Filipino and the rest of the world services that make being online highly engaging, interesting and very valuable and worthwhile,” added Bustamante.

Providing various wireless applications to over 30 mobile operators in seventeen countries including the US, UK, Japan, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong and India, Chikka has also diversified; developing applications for mobile content, commerce, and corporate solutions. According to the company, Chikka Messenger is probably the most widely-used and viewed Internet and mobile-based communications tool by Filipinos worldwide.