PLANET OF THE APES
Consumers want to get the most out of their alwaysconnected world but must also keep safety and privacy in mind.
Annie Hoang, a university student from Vietnam, carries her phone everywhere she goes, relying on it for more than just the ability to make calls.
Like many people her age, Ms Hoang regularly uses social media applications such as Instagram and Snapchat on her smartphone to share parts of her life with people in her network and stay in touch with friends.
“We use more apps in Asia these days because they provide a platform for people to connect and be exposed to new cultures,” she says.
She is among millions of smartphone users in Asia who are growing increasingly reliant on apps, making the region one of the most digitally connected parts of the world.
The growing usage of apps differs across various age groups, says Ploi Phayakvichien, a markets manager at the tax and advisory service company KPMG.
“Older generations tend to use apps primarily as a way to connect with friends and relatives. On the other hand, younger generations tend to use apps for every aspect of their life — as a personal planner, a way to connect with others, a source of self-esteem and self-establishment, fitness tracker and personal advancement, entertainment, and even a source of income,” she said.
This discrepancy in app usage habits among different age groups is especially apparent within the world of social media.
For Ms Hoang, Instagram is her go-to app because of its aesthetic appeal.
“I’m attracted to visuals more than anything else. They help me determine what I want to pay attention to,” she said. “I don’t feel like reading a huge block of text on Facebook, especially when not everything is worth viewing.”
Despite this, Facebook still holds value as a communication tool, especially for people who have worked in multiple locations or have a large network.
Setsuo Luchi is a retired Japanese government official who used to live in Thailand for many years. For this reason, Facebook is his most-used social media platform, one he uses to “connect with friends, old and new”.
Columbaa Kalidhar, a nurse turned social activist in India, also uses Facebook to connect with people, albeit in a slightly different way. She posts a status update daily in the morning, along with numerous updates throughout her day.
“When I joined Facebook in 2012, I had a habit of penning down my thoughts. I began to post some of them, mostly motivational status,” she said.
Ms Kalidhar has amassed a following of nearly 5,000 people since then, often using the platform to collect resources for the social causes she supports, such as children’s education and empowerment.
TRANSFORMING THE MARKETPLACE
In addition to bringing people together and increasing access to information, the growing use of apps has brought customers increased access to and more choice in the products and services they purchase.
Hari Sivan, the CEO of the SoCash app, created a digital platform that allows consumers to obtain cash without having to go to an ATM, as it is linked to the mobile apps of banks. If you need cash, you place an order on SoCash within your bank’s app, select a merchant near you, and pick up the cash at the store. SoCash notifies the merchant and pays it a fee. The app’s ability to provide a safe and convenient service is what makes it and many others like it more attractive to consumers, according to Mr Sivan.
“Anything that solves a problem and brings joy to consumers shows instant adoption,” he wrote in an email to Asia Focus.
Many online-based businesses are also thriving as more individuals in Asia digitise their lives. The Fifth Collection is a Singapore-based luxury trading digital platform designed to help women sell and buy second-hand vintage fashion collections. The CEO and founder of the company, Nejla Finn, says online platforms like hers offer consumers the flexibility to do what they want.
“We have a tendency of being at the mercy of bricks and mortar. But going online made sense because we wanted to be competitive, not just in Singapore but also across borders,” Ms Finn told Asia Focus. “After all, we live in a society where everyone is always busy.”
When asked how app usage differs in Asia from other regions in the world, Mr Sivan said it came down to demographics and access to the internet.
“Asia is a fragmented market with a lot of cultural nuances. The key differentiators in Asia are its young populations, its massive growth in consumption as well as relatively weak internet penetration,” he said.
“Hence, products need to have razor-sharp focus on segments and markets before they can scale.”
Siranya Rhuvattana is a lawyer at Baker McKenzie who works in the intellectual property (IP) and information, technology and communication (ITC) practice groups at the firm. According to her, the rise
“Older generations tend to use apps primarily to connect with friends and relatives. Younger generations tend to use apps for every aspect of their life — as a personal planner, a way to connect with others, a source of self-esteem and self-establishment, fitness tracker and personal advancement, entertainment, and even a source of income” PLOI PHAYAKVICHIEN KPMG
of apps has transformed the marketplace because now everybody can become a buyer or seller. By commercialising their assets, business operations have become “borderless”, she pointed out.
DIGITAL DANGERS
Although smartphone apps are becoming indispensable for millions of people, there are many dangers that come with living digitally, particularly with data collection and privacy as well as an unhealthy reliance on the same apps that make life easier.
Toto Lozano, a presidential staff officer at the Presidential Photographers Division in the Philippines, views apps as a positive technological development that he hopes people will use responsibly.
“I remember when a fibre-optic cable of a telecommunication network was cut off, it made us feel like we had time-warped to the pre-internet era,” he said.
“[But] if you become too dependent on these apps, chances are your life revolves around it, and when things start crashing that’s one hell of a disaster.”
Mr Lozano isn’t alone in his concerns. In light of recent large-scale ransomware attacks around the world, many believe personal data and privacy are at greater risk than ever.
According to Ms Ploi from KPMG, consumers tend to overshare details on social media about their location and activities, with numerous negative consequences.
“It’s always important to be aware that this information can be used against you. One should always consider what they post online,” she said.
But privacy remains an issue.
Ms Siranya from Baker McKenzie says information shared without authorisation and the ability to keep sensitive data private are just a few of the problems she has seen her technology clients face.
“Many businesses in Thailand are not regulated. There are currently some bills under consideration to make data collection safer, but they have been reviewed and considered for over 10 years,” she told Asia Focus.
Because of the growing use of technology in businesses and consumer lifestyles, there is a greater need for laws that regulate certain industries. “If the law can become more supportive toward the rise of apps, it would generate even better apps and boost the economy too,” she noted.
Despite many security concerns and other drawbacks, app culture continues to grow. Convenience, the ability to access a limitless amount of information, as well using sophisticated forms of communication are all factors that ensure smartphones are here to stay. So what can app users do to protect themselves?
“When you’re giving out personally identifiable information and doing online transactions, always make sure that it is with a reputable source with the proper IT security in place,” advises Ms Ploi from KPMG. “Think before you share.”