Who’s on Weibo?

As social media apps and websites continue to multiply, one that dropped off the radar has returned, with Chinese micro-blogging site Sina Weibo seeing a 33 per cent yearly increase in its monthly active users in 2016, according to the group’s earnings statement.
Of the total users of the platform, about 2 per cent are located in Macau, Hong Kong and Taiwan, while only about 16 per cent are located in the Mainland’s Tier 1 cities, with Tier-2 cities accounting for 25 per cent of users, Tier-3 for 26 per cent and Tier-4 for 30 per cent.
The majority of users of the platform demonstrated a university-level or higher education level, at 77.8 per cent, while only 15.7 per cent of users had a high school education and just 6.5 per cent had only reached elementary school-level education, notes research group eMarketer.
The group also estimates that the 89 per cent predominance of users accessing the micro-blogging platform via mobile would seize on the estimated 593.4 million smartphone users in the country predicted by year-end.
Those using the platform for marketing purposes should also high-target their audience’s demographic, as 55.5 per cent of users are male, while the viewers of videos on the platform primarily comprise 23 to 30 year-olds, at 39.1 per cent, followed by 18 to 22 year-olds, at 34.3 per cent.
Only 15.8 per cent of the audience comprised 11 to 17 year-olds, notes the report, while 31 or older viewers made up just 10.7 per cent of video viewers.