PH a top market in Twitterverse

DWI ADRIANSAH—Photos by ARNOLD ALMACEN

From “Aldub” to “Kathniel” and “Jadine,” the Philippine entertainment scene is constantly abuzz on social media platform Twitter, which, according to a couple of the company’s executives, shows just how passionate Filipinos are when it comes to their celebrities.

“[Filipino] fans are truly social media users,” said Tina Pang, Twitter’s head of sales for Southeast Asia. “They’re one of the most connected and passionate, and they want to connect back to what’s happening. We see that especially in the entertainment [industry] conversations. I’d say they are a bit more passionate than other users.”

Second to entertainment, conversations about sports and sporting events are also Filipino favorites, added Pang.

“We’ve seen a huge interaction among users when it comes to the UAAP, the PBA, and, just last night, the NBA,” she said.

Such user behavior, plus the fact that over the past year, the number of daily active users in the country grew by 14 percent, makes the Philippines one of Twitter’s most important emerging markets, said Dwi Adriansah, head of business development for Southeast Asia and Australia. These are also reasons the country was chosen to be the third, next to India and Indonesia, to experience Twitter’s newest product, Twitter Lite.

The mobile browser-based platform was launched recently in Makati City in partnership with Smart and Globe. To activate, one must visit the site mobile.twitter.com on their device’s browser, click on their photo to go to settings, and choose Data Saver mode. Twitter Lite basically provides a lighter version of services offered by the Twitter app—meaning minimal access to media content such as photos and videos.

TINA PANG

Users, however, will still be able to enjoy push notifications, create polls, and access safety features for offensive content such as the block, mute and report options.

Twitter Lite makes use of progressive web app (PWA) technology, explained Adriansah, which allows the users to save as much as 70 percent of data, while taking up less than 1 MB of memory on their mobile devices.

The product is ideal for users whose devices have limited storage capabilities, and therefore cannot download and install the Twitter app permanently on their respective devices.

For Twitter, the Lite version is key to improving their reach across the country, especially in areas where internet connectivity is still not as strong compared to city centers, since it also loads 30 percent faster, as opposed to other websites. Twitter Lite also has 42 language options, one of which is Tagalog.

And because of the popularity of entertainment-related topics on Twitter, Smart and Globe have provided curated timelines on Twitter Lite where users can get daily updates on their favorite celebrities (t.co/SmartEntertainment and t.co/GlobeEntertainment).

“We want to solve the issue of those who don’t really have access to a mobile data connection,” said Adriansah. “And I believe there are still people who can only access 2G or 3G.”

“It cuts across all areas; whether you’re in the city or one of the outlying islands, you will be able to access Twitter the same way,” added Pang. “We want to be able to create that same experience, just in a light manner, to have Twitter be more accessible to all users, and make it easy for them to connect to what’s happening.”