eMarketer: WeChat driving older folks to social network in China
Over eight in 10 Internet user in China (626 m people) will access social networks regularly in 2017, according to eMarketer’s forecast.
WeChat set to drive growth via older users
This follows another forecast where adult smartphone addiction in China is set to grow.
Social network user growth in China is now set to grow by more than 4% according to eMarketer, driven by older users using WeChat to do task far beyond messaging. According to forecasts, 62% of internet users from 55 to 64 years old (28.8 million) in China will be social network users this year.
WeChat has evolved into a must-have app in China, where users can shop, order food delivery, book a doctor’s appointment or pay bills.
WeChat has helped to drive mobile phone social network users in China, with over 483 million (35% of China’s population) accessing social media on that device in 2017.
“WeChat’s further expansion into the areas of payments, shopping and general utility have proven fruitful for China’s social networking and messaging giant,” said Monica Peart, eMarketer’s senior forecast director. “And it will only increase the attraction for new mobile users and older users as it increasingly has something for everyone.”