MALAYSIANS TOP WHATSAPP USERS

Facebook and YouTube also popular with Malaysians, says report

THE Digital News Report 2017 found that Malaysians are the world’s No. 1 users of WhatsApp at 51 per cent. The report also found that Facebook and YouTube are popular with Malaysians, with 58 per cent and 26 per cent users respectively, and WeChat and In stagram, with 13 per cent.

Communications and Multimedia Minister Datuk Seri Salleh Said Keruak said according to the report, 86 per cent of Malaysians consumed news from social media, 45 per cent from publications, 54 per cent from television and 15 per cent from radio.

“Smartphones are used as the main device to get the latest news, at 65 per cent, computers (45 per cent) and tablets (18 per cent),” he posted on his blog yesterday.

He said a study by TNS Global also found Malaysians as being the largest group of WhatsApp users (77 per cent) and Facebook Messenger (41 per cent).

Salleh attributed the findings to Malaysia’s good Internet facilities.

He said WhatsApp was the main choice for news consumers because of its simplicity and speed in communications and information sharing.

He said the instant messaging application helped people promote their endeavours without spending a lot of money, and it was also widely used as an effective political campaign tool.

However, Salleh said WhatsApp did have its disadvantages, of which the most glaring was when it was used to disseminate false information to tarnish a person’s image.

“I support freedom of information, but don’t use WhatsApp to undermine the credibility of others with false news.” Bernama