Thailand’s Obsession with Instagram

Meet the most popular Thai celebrities on Instagram and why we are Obsessed!

Aside from being 2018’s stage of the worldwide beauty pageant Miss Universe, Thailand is one of the most beautiful and exciting countries in the world. Whether you want to stay in a small village like Chang Mai or in the lively city of Bangkok, you will definitely enjoy your stay there. With vibrant street colors from street food vendors, pristine and immaculate beaches and islets, ancient and divine temples, and of course, cool and amazing tuk-tuks, Thailand, is very much an Instagram-worthy place.

But, claiming that the country’s beautiful and colorful scenes are the only reason that put Thailand in the global scene in terms of social media use is a big understatement. Check out the figures and the statistics and what they mean for the future of the country and also to your travel plans.

Increased Internet Usage

Thais are a bunch of Internet-crazy citizens. In several reports released recently, it was revealed that Thailand ranked first globally in terms of time spent on mobile Internet and Internet usage in a day. This is one of the consequences of much higher use of various social media platforms like Instagram and Facebook, as well as the fame of online video viewing.

In terms of social media penetration using mobile devices, Hootsuite reports that Thailand is one of the top 10 countries with the highest penetration. On the other hand, We Are Social revealed that the country ranked 4th on the most number of hours spent on various social networking sites.

Thailand is also ranked first worldwide in terms of the number of hours spent on mobile Internet averaging 4.56 hours. Brazil came in second with 4.21 hours average mobile Internet consumption. In the third spot is another Asian country, Philippines with an average time of 4.17 hours spent using mobile Internet.

The country’s capital, Bangkok, is hailed as the city with the most number of active social media accounts, which is 22 million. The city has an Instagram penetration of 19 percent or an average of 11 percent on a worldwide scale. In 2017, the number of Instagram users in Thailand rose to 13 million compared to a previous count of 1 million.

Thai Celebrities with Million Followings

The increase in social media penetration among Thais can be credited to several local celebrities who have acquired millions of followers on Instagram. The followings could be the result of several blockbuster movies gaining worldwide attention. Movies like “Ong Bak” in 2008, “Pee Mak” in 2013, and “Bad Genius” in 2017 were a huge success in Thailand and even abroad.

These movies show what the Thai film industry is capable of. And while the movies are getting the attention they rightfully deserve, several Thai celebrities are also making their mark online particularly on Instagram.