My Autobiography: David Balleza K(C)atague: Why the Philippines is Now Rank Second in the World for Time Spent on Social Media

Saturday, January 31, 2026

Why the Philippines is Now Rank Second in the World for Time Spent on Social Media

Why the Philippines Now Ranks 2nd in the World for Time Spent on Social Media and What It Says About Digital Culture

In 2025, the Philippines was ranked second in the world for daily time spent on social media, with Filipinos spending nearly 5 hours per day scrolling, swiping, posting, and watching content on social platforms, up from about 4 hours in 2020. Yet even as average engagement climbed, the country slipped from the top global spot, which is now held by Kenya, where users average roughly 5 hours and 11 minutes daily on social media.

So what’s behind the Philippines’ enduring and growing social media habit? Let’s break it down.

1. Near-Universal Smartphone Access

One of the biggest drivers is access. The Philippines now boasts near-universal smartphone ownership, with more than 98 % of the population owning a mobile device. This has essentially made digital connectivity part of everyday life for chatting, watching, shopping, banking, and entertainment.

With smartphones within reach of nearly everyone, social media isn’t just an option, it’s embedded in daily routines.

2. Social Media Woven into Everyday Life

Filipinos aren’t just logging in- they’re deeply engaged:

Facebook use in the Philippines far outpaces global averages, with around 95 % of internet users accessing it monthly.
YouTube is also extremely popular, with about 85 % of users visiting at least once a month.
Short-form video platforms like TikTok have seen explosive engagement across age groups.
On average, Filipinos engage with eight or more social platforms every month, one of the highest multi-platform usage rates globally.

This rich ecosystem keeps users switching between apps, content types, and communities throughout the day.

3. Video Consumption Is Through the Roof

Video content is a huge part of the story. Filipino users are among the world’s top consumers of online video from vlogs to music videos, tutorials, livestreams, and short-form clips. Some reports even described the nation as a "vlogging nation," with a large share of internet users watching video content weekly.

Video keeps eyes glued to screens longer than simple text or photos, and platforms like TikTok and YouTube are optimized to promote long viewing sessions.

4. A Digital Culture of Connectivity

In the Philippines, social media serves many roles beyond entertainment. It’s a hub for:

Communication - chatting with family and friends across islands and abroad
News and trending information
Community building and identity
Commerce - from product discovery to mobile shopping and digital payments

Social platforms have become de facto social infrastructure — a way of life, not just a pastime.

5. Affordable Data and Mobile Plans

Relative to many other countries, mobile data in the Philippines can be more affordable and widely available, which lowers the barrier to broad and frequent digital use. Combined with strong network coverage across urban and rural areas, this helps sustain heavy social media patterns.

So Why Isn’t the Philippines #1?

Even with all these factors in its favor, the Philippines is just slightly behind Kenya in average daily time spent on social media. In Kenya’s case, a combination of youthful demographics, mobile-first internet access, and heavy reliance on digital platforms for communication and news pushes overall engagement to the top globally.

In short, Kenya’s social media ecosystem edges out the Philippines in sheer hours online, even as the Philippines maintains extremely high engagement.

What Does This Mean?

For Users

Connection vs. balance: People are more connected than ever, but spending nearly 5 hours a day on social platforms can raise questions about attention balance, productivity, and well-being.
Information access: Social media remains a major source of news and trends, but it also carries risks such as misinformation, which is a growing concern among Filipinos.

For Businesses

The Philippines represents a massive and highly engaged digital audience, ideal for marketing, e-commerce, content creation, and influencer partnerships.
Brands that understand local digital habits can tap into deep engagement and community interactions for impact.

For Culture

The way Filipinos use social media, not just to consume content but to shape trends, drive conversations, and connect across distances is reshaping how society communicates, entertains, and organizes.

Bottom Line

The Philippines may no longer hold the global crown for time spent on social media, but its position at No. 2 with nearly 5 hours a day tells a compelling story about digital life in the 2020s. With near-universal mobile access, a culture built on connectivity, and some of the world’s highest engagement with video and social platforms, the nation remains one of the most socially active digital communities on Earth.

And as digital habits evolve driven by new platforms, new behaviors, and new technologies, so too will the way we define social media engagement in a connected world.

The Philippines consistently ranks among the top in the world for time spent on social media, with users averaging over 3.5 hours daily in 2025

. This high ranking is driven by a deeply ingrained "always-online" culture, high mobile connectivity, affordable data, and the use of platforms like Facebook and TikTok for entertainment, news, and commerce.

Why the Philippines Ranks 2nd in Social Media Usage

High Digital Engagement & Demographics: A young, tech-savvy population combined with a highly social, "always-connected" culture drives high engagement.
Affordable Data & Connectivity: Cheap data plans, "free Facebook" promos from telcos like Globe and Smart, and the proliferation of mobile devices facilitate constant, low-cost access.
Centrality of Social Media: Social platforms are used as primary tools for communication, news, entertainment, and e-commerce, rather than just networking.
Mobile-First Nation: The vast majority of access is through smartphones, making it the most accessible way to go online.

What it Says About Philippine Digital Culture

"Social Media Capital" Reality: The country has solidified its reputation as the social media capital of the world, with almost 99% of internet users accessing at least one platform.
Virtual Community & Socialization: Due to high overseas worker populations and a, social media is vital for maintaining, family connections and staying, social media is vital for maintaining.
High Influence of Creators: Filipinos are highly engaged with influencers, with over 51% following them, driving trends and, consumer behavior, with over 51% following them.
"Always-On" Lifestyle: Social media is blended into daily life, used for everything from business to political engagement.

The digital landscape in the Philippines is characterized by immense activity, with 97.5 million internet users as of early 2025, representing a robust,, connected, and deeply.

Meanwhile, 

We know Filipinos are Austronesian by culture and language.

But a 2021 genetic study revealed something shocking:

The Ayta Magbukon of the Philippines carry the highest level of Denisovan DNA in the world, even more than Australian Aborigines.

Denisovans were an ancient, now-extinct human species.

Which means before the Austronesians arrived. There were already other humans living here and their DNA is still inside Filipinos today. Our history didn’t start with boats. It started with a lost species.

Did you know the Philippines holds this genetic record?

Lastly, I enjoyed this afternoon THD Activity. 

Here's photos of My Creation. Kudos to Elane for a well-organized activity:

My Tulip Pot in Good Company with Some of My Cacti Collections in My Patio

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Highlights of My Professional Career

In my more than 40 years of professional career, I have experienced both working rank and file, as well as supervising the work of subordinates. I have worked in four private firms and the Federal Government, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), where I retired. I enjoyed the challenges and difficulties of both types of job situations. This is the highlights of my work experience story.

My first job after completing my doctorate degree was a Chemist for Chemagro Corporation in Kansas City, Missouri. It was a subsidiary of Bayer Corporation, a German conglomerate. I worked for the analytical chemistry department comprised of about fifty people; half that number was either chemists or biologists. My specific task was to develop analytical methods for the detection of pesticide residues in plant and animal tissues. I worked on my own, similar to six other bench chemists, and we all reported to the same supervisor.

The firm sponsored my visa conversion from a student to a permanent resident, and I was able to legally work and reside in the United States with my family. The company generously took care of its employees. At the end of each successful year, everyone received a 13th month salary bonus. The employees and their families celebrated wonderful annual Christmas parties in a downtown Kansas City hotel, with dancing and free drinks for the whole night.

Inasmuch as I enjoyed and loved working for Chemagro for five years, I found a new job which offered a substantially higher pay. Due to my exemplary work performance, my supervisor preferred and lobbied for me to stay with the company. I had to turn him down because they could not match the package presented by my new employer. It was also a chance for me and my family to move and live in the US west coast, where the mild winter climate is bearable compared to the Midwest.

My next job was at the agricultural research division of Shell Development Company in Modesto, California. I was a Research Chemist, and again I worked individually, same as five other chemists who all reported to a supervisor. My specific duty was similar to my previous job. I worked for them for five years, until the company decided to get out of the pesticide business. They closed their research facility affecting the jobs of more than 200 employees.

My third industrial job was with the agricultural research division of Stauffer chemical company, located in Richmond, California. I was a Senior Research Chemist doing the same project as my two previous jobs. I worked for twelve continuous years for the company, with outstanding annual job performance. I became a Principal Research Chemist, the highest attainable non-supervisory position.

One day in 1986, my supervisor informed me that my job had been eliminated, and I had one day to vacate the facility. It was the most dreadful lay off experience in my life. I felt anger, sadness and humiliation to be dismissed from work with one day notice, after all the years of hard work invested for the company. This was an unforgettable incident and was the gloomiest point in my professional career.
The company terminated sixty research employees, who were upset of the bad news.

One of the chemists was distressed and expressed his outrageous anger by threatening the company and its workers. He told his supervisor of his intention to bomb and burn down the laboratory. He was immediately escorted by the security staff out of the building and into his car. He was informed to leave behind his personal belongings; they will be mailed to his residence. He was warned never to show up again near the company premises or risk getting arrested.

My supervisor was kind and allowed me to take my time to pack up my belongings. It took me two days to clear up my workplace, after toiling for a long period in the same jobsite. We were provided clerical help and office space, in preparation to look for another job, such as updating our resumes, and using the computer and copy machine. We were given six weeks of separation pay plus benefits.

Fortunately, with the help of a friend who is a Church parishioner, I found another job thirty days after leaving Stauffer chemical company. He hired me as a senior research chemist and as a group leader with two technicians to supervise. It was in the same field as my expertise in my previous three jobs spanning the last twenty one years. My new employer was Chevron Chemical Company, and which was located in the same area as my former employer.

This job gave me the introduction and basic knowledge of managing the work of subordinates. I worked for Chevron Company for four and a half years. The company decided to consolidate their research facilities in Texas, and lay off all its research employees. This time I had enough distress and agony from working, and eventually getting laid off from several private companies. To avoid going through any more miserable layoffs, I made a vow that I would never again work for a private company.

In my work experiences, there were noticeable and unavoidable jobsite occurrences. One can never miss the office romantic relationships between co-workers, both illicit and permitted. Though it was frowned upon, there was a boss and staff relationship, which was used as a ploy to get ahead in the company. Some relationships had chemistry, no pun intended, but some never worked out. Oftentimes, there was a sense of distrust among bench chemists for some workers who unjustly obtained preferred work assignments.

Some employees resorted to bribing superiors to get special privileges, such as being able to attend choice conferences and meetings in exciting venues or locations. Likewise, politics was always present at the worksites. It was during an era when various forms of harassment, equal opportunity and discrimination laws were not yet enforced in the workplace. Occasionally, an unexpected chemical explosion happens in a laboratory setting, where luckily no one got seriously hurt.

In the three private companies I worked for, I was able to publish scientific journals for some of the research studies and analytical methods which I developed for the respective companies of Chemagro, Shell Development and Stauffer.

After deciding and making a vow to avoid working in the private sector, I made my new goal which was either to work for the state of California, or the Federal government in Washington, D.C. Four months after I lost my job in Chevron, I was lucky and joyful to be hired by the Food and Drug Administration as a review chemist in the fall of 1990.

In 1994 I was promoted as an Expert Research Chemist with a GS-14 rating. My expertise was on Anti-malarial and Anti-parasitic drug products. In 1997, I was again deservingly promoted to Chemistry team leader, supervising the work of six Chemistry reviewers including five with doctorate degrees.

As team leader, I was responsible for prioritizing, assigning, and assuring the technical accuracy of all chemistry, manufacturing and control issues for all new drug applications submitted to the Division of Anti-Infective Drug Products, Center of New Drugs.

It was part of my responsibility to give advice, instruct and promote high morale and teamwork in my group. My work in the FDA is confidential, until the drug patent on the products I worked on has expired. There are manufacturing supplements that I have approved that are now open for the public in the Internet.

In 1998, I won the Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Award. The citation reads, “For outstanding accomplishments in fostering the objectives of the EEO Program by hiring minorities and encouraging their professional growth while providing excellent leadership.” I have received numerous certificates of appreciation, awards in leadership and communications, commendation for teamwork and excellence in the accomplishment of the FDA mission. I have also received several letters of appreciation from private industry for my review work.

There are many good things working as rank and file while enjoying doing one’s job individually. It is a humbling, satisfying and productive experience, if one can work in harmony with one’s immediate supervisor. Working individually develops one’s skills in goal setting and scheduling. But in general, the financial rewards are less than a person who has supervisory responsibilities.

Managing the work of others has its challenges. Moreover, it develops one’s skill in handling and developing people, and the compensation rewards and benefits are better. Due to additional duties, responsibilities and leadership, supervisory work can be more stressful than working as a subordinate. However, supervisory jobs give one more personal growth and satisfaction, based on my personal experience. My work in FDA as a team leader managing the work of six scientists had been the happiest and rewarding work experience in my career in Chemistry. You might also like: