Indonesians Are Obsessed With Instagram, and Here's Why

A recent report shows that Indonesia has become the biggest market for Instagram in Asia Pacific. As per the first quarter of 2017, Indonesians make up over 6% of Instagram’s overall monthly active users, with no less than 45 million people logging on.

That massive figure is also reflected in content created by Indonesian users. The nation’s Instagrammers produce the most Instagram Stories, with twice as much posted compared to the global average.

The report was presented by Sri Widowati, Instagram country director for Indonesia. She also attributed the phenomenon to the nation’s social customs. “For the people of Indonesia, sharing an important moment is part of the culture, so it is no wonder Indonesia has become one of the largest Instagram Story content producers,” Sri said, as reported by Asia One.

Compared to other communities in the West, Indonesians are very social. Sharing life stories and everyday occurrences is a common and important way of socializing and staying in touch. Generally, Indonesians have large social circles, with many of them still close to extended families, relatives, and acquaintances. That makes social media, especially casual-sharing features like Instagram Story, a convenient way to keep updated on how everyone’s doing.

The high user numbers can also be tied to the fact that Indonesia is in itself a large population, the fourth biggest in the world. A significant portion of that population is young, active internet users, facilitated by affordable smartphones and internet services in most parts of the country.

Beyond a social platform, Instagram has also become an integral cog in the country’s e-commerce activity. The expansive archipelago is a massive market for e-commerce, a system that could overcome geographical vastness to distribute products.

Although the nation has numerous e-commerce platforms, Instagram is one of the most popular portals for Indonesians to sell and buy goods and services, as it has already attracted most of the country’s netizen. Almost every business in Indonesia has an active Instagram account, and some even operate exclusively on the popular social media.