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Generative AI is everywhere now. You see it in content, campaigns, customer experiences, and even internal workflows. It promises speed, scale, and efficiency, but there’s a harder question sitting underneath all that progress; Do your audiences actually trust it?

Trust in the Age of AI: What Consumers Really Think About AI Generated Content

Today, PR teams aren’t just tracking media coverage and share of voice. They’re also measuring how their brand shows up in AI-generated answers, search summaries, and large language models (LLMs). This new LLM visibility layer is quickly becoming a critical part of PR performance.

15 Must-Have PR KPIs and How to Track Them

See how one platform can power every decision across PR, communications, and marketing.

The Meltwater Blog

Blog Topics: Generative Engine Optimization, Media Intelligence, Media Relations, Social Listening, Consumer Intelligence, Influencer Marketing

Find out how you can leverage Facebook to boost your brand's online presence and gain a competitive edge. Explore the Meltwater category page today!

Facebook Blog | Meltwater

Find out how you can leverage Instagram to boost your brand's visual appeal and gain a competitive edge. Explore our category page today!

Instagram Blog | Meltwater

Find out how you can leverage LinkedIN to grow your professional network and gain a competitive edge. Explore the Meltwater category page today!

LinkedIn Blog | Meltwater

Find out how you can leverage TikTok to elevate your brand with creative content and gain a competitive edge. Explore the Meltwater category page today!

TikTok Blog | Meltwater

Find out how you can leverage X / Twitter to engage your audience effectively and gain a competitive edge. Explore the Meltwater category page today!

X / Twitter Blog | Meltwater

Find out how you can leverage YouTube to create engaging video content and gain a competitive edge. Explore the Meltwater category page today!

YouTube Blog | Meltwater

Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) is transforming how brands show up in AI-powered search. Explore insights, strategies, and best practices to help your content rank and resonate across conversational engines like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Copilot.

Explore insights and strategies for Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) to help your brand stay visible and discoverable in AI-powered search.

Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) Blog Collection | Meltwater

Every day billions of conversations take place on social media: tweets, posts, comments, blogs, reviews, podcasts, and much more.
Learn how to use social listening to make sense of all of that data.

On our social listening category page, you find all our blogs covering topics around social listening and social media monitoring. Read more.

Social Listening Blogs | Category

Business Reputation Management: What does it take to add reputation management to your marketing strategy? More importantly, how do you keep your reputation sparkly and shiny? Here’s your all-access guide to online reputation management for the long term.

On our reputation management category page, you find all our blogs covering topics around business reputation management. Read more.

Reputation Management Blogs | Category

From your brand's logo to your website, your social media presence to your customer support—these elements combined are what constitutes a brand in the minds of customers. But, there are thousands of other businesses that have a logo, website, social media presence, and website. So, how can you position your business on the market and make it stand out from the competition?
The key to success is branding & brand management!

On our brand management category page, you find all our blogs covering topics around brand management. Build your strategy and reach your goals!

Brand Management Blogs | Category

Competitive intelligence and the act of collecting competitive data can be seen as growth drivers for a company. Our guide will help you understand the concept of competitive intelligence (CI) by answering questions such as: What is the definition of competitive intelligence? How is competitive intelligence useful to organizations? What is the goal of competitive intelligence? And more.

On our competitive intelligence category page, you find all our blogs covering topics around competitive intelligence. Learn how to stay ahead.

Competitive Intelligence Blogs | Category

Let’s dive into the customer journey framework and how to optimize the process by creating a customer journey map and using metrics that matter when analyzing the customer journey.

On our customer journey category page, you find all our blogs covering topics around mapping and understanding the customer journey.

Customer Journey Blogs | Category

What Is Data Analytics? [Beginner’s Guide 2023]
How can I grow my business? 
How do customers interact with my newly launched product?
How do I increase the productivity of my employees?
How do I know if my marketing efforts are working?
We have just two words for you...Data analytics!

On our data analytics category page, you find all our blogs covering topics around AI and data analytics. Technical and still easy to understand.

AI & Data Analytics Blogs | Category

Public relations and media relations can add impact to any marketing strategy. It’s an opportunity for brands to grow their reach beyond traditional sales messages. PR helps to shape the image you want people to have of your brand.
So, what is PR and how do you use it? This guide shows you everything you need to know to build a strong public relations foundation.

On our public relations (PR) category page, you find all our blogs covering public relations and communications topics. Step up your PR game.

Public Relations (PR) Blogs | Category

We all know exactly what the roles of sales or accounting are in a company, right? We might even have a slight idea of what the IT guys are doing.
But there is another business discipline, that plays a crucial role in organizations, even more so during the pandemic – internal communications!
But what exactly do we mean by that, what purpose does it serve and what steps can you take to ensure you and your employees will communicate effectively?

On our internal communications category page, you find all our blogs about internal comms topics. Learn about the intranet, internal newsletters, and more.

Internal Communications Blogs | Category

As the internet has taken root in more areas of our lives — everything from entertainment to shopping to paying bills and more — traditional marketing is becoming less impactful. As any marketer knows, you need to focus on where your audience is if you want to reach them. Since the average person spends about seven hours a day online, it’s no surprise that content has maintained its hold on marketers.

Here's a closer look at what content marketing is and why it matters more than ever in our digital-first economy.

On our content marketing category page, you find blogs about content marketing topics. Learn about strategies, KPIs, tips, and more. Make your content king!

Content Marketing Blogs | Category

The rise of the influencer marketing space – today a $10 billion industry, growing 50% per year – is one of the clearest examples of how social media is transforming traditional marketing. These days having a business website, presence on social, PR coverage, and your own content isn’t enough to compete.
We'll dive into the intricacies of influencer marketing to help ensure that you're equipped with the insights needed to be successful in this space.

On our influencer marketing category page, you find blogs about influencer marketing topics. Build your strategy, find influencers, and measure results.

Influencer Marketing Blogs | Category

Have you just launched a new product or service that you want to get the word out about? Maybe you want to share with consumers why it is awesome and how it is so much better than the one your competitors offer.

Well, then, there is one thing you can't do without...Marketing!

On our marketing category page, you find blogs about marketing topics. Learn about all the different angles and types of marketing and improve your results.

Marketing Blogs | Category

In this guide, we want to give you a peek into the definition of social media management, the daily schedule of a social media manager, social media platforms to promote your business, and the do’s & don’ts of social media management.
Are you ready to begin the journey of becoming a social media superstar?

On our social media management category page, you find blogs about social media management topics. Build and manage your online community.

Social Media Management Blogs | Category

Building a following and using social media platforms to reach a wider audience requires a well-planned social media marketing strategy. In this guide, we’ll be looking at why social media marketing is so essential and how you can make it work for your business.

On our social media marketing category page, you find blogs about social media marketing topics. Learn how to get the highest paid social ROI!

Social Media Marketing Blogs | Category

In the fast-evolving realm of digital marketing and public relations, utilizing the right tools is crucial for success. Our interdisciplinary category showcases all the pertinent tools for digital marketing & PR. These tools help in enhancing your online presence and effectively reaching target groups, whether through reputation management, influencer marketing, or social media management.

On our digital marketing and PR tools category page, you find all our blogs covering topics around mapping and understanding the customer journey.

Digital Marketing & PR Tools Blogs | Category

A solid and positive brand reputation serves your business in a multitude of ways. Reputation management depends on having a well-structured reputation strategy.

What is the Primary Goal of Reputation Management

What is a Reputation Management Strategy?

How To Develop a Reputation Management Strategy

What Are the Three Phases of Reputation Management?

How To Implement a Reputation Management Strategy

Money isn't the only thing that talks. A poor brand reputation can result in public negative reviews, comments from dissatisfied customers on social media, reduced interest from investors, limited options for making good hires, and more. 

It's important to consider your reputation as an integral piece of your business strategy:

Quantifying why brands need to maintain a positive perception

According to the Global Risks 2012 study by the World Economic Forum (WEF), on average more than 25% of a company’s market value is directly attributable to the way it is perceived.

In its Global Survey on Reputation Risk, Deloitte noted: "Eighty-seven percent of the executives we surveyed rate reputation risk as ‘more important’ or ‘much more important’, and 88% say they are explicitly focusing on reputation risk as a key business challenge."

In its World PR Report 2020, the International Communications Consultancy Organization, a public relations body, found that the good name of a business is consistently ranked by corporate leaders as their most valuable asset.

What is the Primary Goal of Reputation Management?

An organization’s public standing is the sum of everything it says and does: the products or services it provides, how these perform, the customer experience offered, and the public face of its employees and upper management. 

Companies are increasingly being held accountable for their actions by a growing cohort of Gen Z and millennials who hold a massive amount of purchase power.

The goal of reputation management is to keep on top of potential issues, prevent and mitigate crises, and to proactively implement programs or brand initiatives that will increase brand equity, and strengthen your brand with longevity in mind.

A reputation management strategy is the how behind your plan to shape and maintain your brand image. Your strategy could include things like brand building exercises, PR campaigns, crisis management frameworks, or marketing initiatives. 

Reputation management strategy is not the easiest concept to think about in a proactive way. You likely are more familiar with the idea of "damage control" in times of brand crisis when it comes to reputation strategy. 

But having brand reputation management strategies in place that also look ahead and have an eye toward ways to fortify brand perception, as opposed to being purely reactive, are the ones that will yield the most powerful results for your business.

How to Develop a Reputation Management Strategy

Reputation permeates your entire company, but because it is so often tied to decisions made by leadership, it should be set at the C-suite level and involve the likes of the marketing director, public relations director, CEO, and others. 

Tip: Have a plan for getting executive buy-in for reputation monitoring tools like social listening, which area great way to scale online reputation management strategies.

What to include in your reputation management policy

Here are some suggested items that a standard reputation management strategy should cover in order to be effective:

Allocation of external or in-house resources

Decide whether the business will hire an external reputation management company or only use internal resources. This decision may be based on budget or human resources considerations.

Decide the extent of your monitoring and social listening, and consider using a social media listening tool or media monitoring software. Including AI brand reputation management in your strategy has also become essential, as LLMs shape how brands are perceived. Prioritize what parameters and audiences matter most, and consider whether the software includes AI visibility tracking. Different teams may choose to monitor different groups or keywords depending on specific needs.

Be clear as to how the organization should respond

Make sure all departments have a clear understanding for who is responsible for responding when  brand reputation issues or crises arise. The newest hire on the social media team may be suitable when it’s a bad product review, but if it’s a bubbling media frenzy involving harsh criticism online, the responsible person should be a senior director or executive who understands the vision and voice of the brand. 

Set tight timelines for responses too. In the digital age, the court of public opinion does not keep office hours or respect the chief marketing officer’s long-weekend getaway.

Learn more about crisis response: Crisis Management Guide, Ultimate Guide to Crisis Comms, Mastering Media Relations for Crisis Comms, Measuring the Impact of a Crisis on Your Brand

Now that you have set the high-level reputation management parameters and obtained buy-in from the organization’s most senior people, it’s time to drill down to day-to-day actions.

How to Implement a Reputation Management Strategy

Monitoring the life of your brand image online on a regular cadence will keep you abreast of any potential issues and give you a strong sense of how your brand is holding up against competitors. Track various metrics such as SERP placement, content marketing performance, and brand mentions in reviews on podcasts, or social media sites. 

Here are 5 key elements to implementing a successful online reputation strategy:

When people want to know something about your brand or its products, they will commonly look you up on a search engine such as Google. So the last thing you need is the first thing they see to  be bad reviews of a product that was discontinued years ago, social media rants by disgruntled customers, negative Glassdoor reviews, or a decades-old news story about a lawsuit brought agains a former CEO. 

If these are the kind of results showing up, part of an online reputation management strategy is looking at the low-hanging fruit first: Add a company response to negative reviews or posts and offer assistance. Make it clear that you care. In the case of negative press, this might feed into a robust PR strategy aiming to get bylines for your leadership talking about new products, ESG initiatives, impressive technological advances or other pieces of thought leadership.   

Once these movements are in place, you can dial it back and take a look at your content marketing strategy which will help you get on Page 1 of the SERP with SEO-optimized content.  

Also read: tips for a better B2B content marketing strategy

2. Invest in high-quality content marketing

Let's talk a little more about why content marketing is so integral to your reputation management strategy. 

Readable, useful, credible information never goes out of fashion. When you prioritize quality over quantity and craft engaging content that answers real questions, your SERPs will start to improve. A good place to start if you're feeling stuck is to simply look at what your competitors are writing about. Look for any gaps in knowledge that you can help fill in your articles.

Good quality content that you produce in-house is something you can control. It allows you to shape your own narrative rather than depending on potential customers getting their information from review sites or social media. 

But always remember that, as with any form of marketing, digital marketing requires that you remain true to your corporate image and brand voice. 

What type of content should you focus on?

This is totally up to you! Create blogs, eBooks, infographics, videos for social media, quizzes and polls. Invest in white papers. Publish in-depth, credible, and well-researched industry reports that will benefit the industry and be of interest to other stakeholders, including the media. Done correctly, this type of content will help to position your organization as the industry leader and spokesperson.

3. Develop your online profiles and presence

Is the organization’s website attractive, modern, and populated with up-to-date content? Is the latest annual report there? Are the executive team’s profiles current? Does the ‘latest’ blog post date back several years or just a couple days?

Does the company have a presence on all the major social media platforms? If not, do some consumer research first to understand where your audience spends the most time. Once you have this information, start setting up your business profiles. Social platforms are useful places to provide news and updates about the business, share content pieces, and for offering information about your products and services. Remember to make the best content shareable as this amplifies your online presence and brand voice.

Look at: the best B2B Instagram profiles, the best time to post on social media, guide to creating a Facebook business profile, and download our free Social Media Marketing Toolkit

4. Be diligent with your response strategy

Your reputation management policy has determined the scope of your monitoring and social listening. Now ensure that you’re taking the appropriate actions and responding where needed, in accordance with the policy.

Are people complaining about confusing instructions for how to use a product? Perhaps you could tap your engineering team to update a help article and then take to social media saying you've heard the complaints and addressed the concerns. These kinds of actions can go a long way toward moving a three-star product review rating up to five.

Is there a negative report in the media about an alleged environmental breach at the company’s factory that requires an urgent response form the CEO? Make sure the response is vetted by legal and any other important departments before it gets posted. If the CEO doesn't have a strong social presence, determine if you should use another executives profile, or if just a press release will do.

Perhaps you have a situation developing on a community Facebook group, where a customer is claiming the company is refusing to honor its warranty. Ensure the social media team issues an immediate holding statement and then get the relevant marketing executive to follow up with a phone call or email to the client as soon as possible.

Also, be aware that a response strategy isn’t limited to mitigating negative reviews and responding to unfolding crises. Where someone has something good to say about the brand online, thank them and ask if you can share it to the organization’s social media platforms and website.

5. Treat all reputation management activities as market research

A reputation management strategy is not only about polishing the brand image and mitigating negativity. It’s also a highly effective market research tool!

Analyzing all of your interactions and comments, whether positive or negative, gives you valuable insight into how your organization is perceived in the marketplace — and how your products and services are actually performing. Give that feedback to relevant departments such as marketing, sales, and product development so they can continue to make improvements.

The world is unpredictable and consumer behavior is rapidly evolving. So, corporate reputation management needs to move along with it. Issues that were irrelevant to a good brand image a few years ago are now center stage. Technological advances make monitoring and responding to conversations far easier, so it's crucial that businesses take advantage of this.

Meltwater offers a comprehensive suite that can help you master your brand management. If you want to learn more about the Meltwater solutions that help you master your brand reputation, simply fill out the following form and we will be in touch.

Why You Need a Reputation Management Strategy (and How to Create One)

Note: This blog is based on the Global Digital Report 2025 (Digital 2025 Hong Kong) – produced in partnership with Meltwater and We Are Social. See Simon Kemp's article about The Essential Guide to the Global State of Digital in 2025. Download the Global Digital Report 2025 for free.

The digital environment of Hong Kong exemplifies the city’s tradition-meets-innovation spirit, on full display from the neon-lit streets of Central to the tranquil serenity of the Big Buddha. With its high internet and mobile penetration rates and fully urban population, the city continues to lead in digital connectivity and social engagement across Asia.

In January 2025, Hong Kong’s total population stands at 7.4 million, down slightly from the previous year. Despite this, the city’s digital ecosystem remains strong. With a 235% mobile penetration rate—equating to each resident having multiple mobile connections—Hong Kong boasts a robust mobile infrastructure. In addition, 7.1 million people, or 96% of the population, are connected to the internet. Meanwhile, 83.1% of the population, or 6.15 million user identities, actively participate in social media.

From Hong Kong’s historic “Ding Ding” trams and bustling street markets to the iconic Star Ferry, there’s no shortage of spots to people-watch. But you’re just as likely to see residents and tourists live-streaming from Harbourfront Shared Spaces or snapping photos for social media. Understanding how people connect, share, and consume content in this city is key to reaching Hong Kong’s mobile-first population.

Using these statistics as a starting point, we’ll explore how this one-of-a-kind metropolis is shaping the region’s digital future—and how marketers, brands, and communicators can effectively connect with Hong Kong’s audience in 2025.

General social media statistics in Hong Kong

Social media usage statistics in Hong Kong

Digital marketing statistics in Hong Kong

What's ahead for social media in Hong Kong in 2025?

With a year-on-year reduction of 0.5%, or 36,000 fewer individuals, the city's total population stands at 7.4 million in January 2025. Despite this slight decline, Hong Kong remains densely populated, with 6,729.8 people per square kilometer. The city is also known for its notoriously compact living spaces—some so small and costly they’ve earned the nickname “coffin homes,” where everything one needs is crammed into a room no larger than a coffin.

The city's aging population is reflected in its median age of 47.4 years. This places Hong Kong above many Western nations and among the oldest populations globally, ranking just behind Japan (49.8) and Italy (48.2). The gender breakdown reveals a slight majority of women, at 55% female and 45% male. An interesting aspect of Hong Kong’s gender demographics, with potential implications for digital literacy, is the literacy gap: 96.9% of men are literate compared to 89.6% of women.

Hong Kong’s age distribution reveals a population that skews noticeably older, with most of its residents concentrated in age groups above 40. Because of this, marketers and communicators should no longer assume that younger audiences dominate the online space—at least not in Hong Kong, where the situation is quite different.

Top 5 Age Groups by Population in Hong Kong (Feb 2025):

Age 60–64: 623,000 (8.4% of the population)

These figures show that the largest demographic is between the ages of 40 and 69—a group often overlooked in digital campaigns. But in Hong Kong, these individuals are highly likely to see your ads, click through your content, and engage with your brand.

Are these same age groups also the most active on social media, or is there a gap between access and actual engagement? In the next section, we’ll explore how this demographic profile aligns with usage patterns across Hong Kong’s top platforms.

Heading into 2025, 7.1 million individuals, or 96% of Hong Kong's population, regularly use the internet. Residents spend an average of 5 hours and 30 minutes online each day, slightly below the global average of 6 hours and 38 minutes. However, this figure is trending downward, with a 0.5% decrease from last year.

Despite the dip in usage, Hong Kong remains a highly mobile-driven market. A significant 93.7% of internet users access the web via their mobile phones.

With a mobile penetration rate of 235% and 96% of the population online, Hong Kong’s digital infrastructure is deeply embedded in daily life. Most people own multiple devices, and the widespread availability of high-speed internet allows residents of all ages to engage actively with social media, digital marketing, and online content.

The highly active and fast-paced lifestyle of Hong Kong's internet users in 2025 reflects the city’s dynamic culture. 55.9% of users regularly watch videos, TV shows, or movies—whether it’s catching the latest TVB dramas on MyTV SUPER or tuning in to global hits on Netflix. This strong engagement with streaming highlights the city's appetite for diverse entertainment options.

55.7% of users go online to stay connected with friends and family, relying on messaging apps like WhatsApp and WeChat. These platforms are essential in helping people maintain close relationships despite their packed schedules.

Another 55.5% turn to the internet for general browsing or to pass the time—whether they’re riding the MTR home from work or queuing at a cha chaan teng with a view of Harbour City. Beyond just killing time, this habit helps users stay entertained and in the loop throughout the day.

54.7% of users rely on the internet to find information, making it an essential part of everyday life. From checking traffic updates to discovering the latest restaurants in Central, Hongkongers use online tools to navigate the city efficiently. Similarly, 50% of users are online to stay updated with news and current events—proof that the internet remains a vital source for staying informed.

These digital habits show how deeply embedded the internet is in Hongkongers’ daily routines and highlight the importance of making relevant, accessible content available to this always-connected population.

As one of the most chronically online cities in the world, Hong Kong’s population turns to the internet in 2025 for three main things: communication, information, and commerce.

Chat and messaging applications lead the way, with 95.7% of users relying on them. Closely following are social networks, used by 93.1% of internet users. From Xiaohongshu’s user-generated content to YouTube’s endless stream of videos, these platforms are central to how Hongkongers express themselves, discover trends, and stay informed.

Whether it’s checking the latest headlines or doing a quick Google search, 84.2% of users depend on search engines and web portals for instant access to information. At the same time, 71% continue to use email, likely for work and formal communication.

Rounding out the top five, 69.3% of Hongkongers visit shopping, auction, and classifieds sites. With platforms like Taobao and secondhand marketplace Carousell on the rise, the city’s appetite for online commerce shows no signs of slowing down.

While internet usage in Hong Kong remains stable and consistent, social media usage is on a slight decline. Even though nearly everyone in the city is online, only 83.1% of the population has a linked social media account. This figure—6.15 million—is down 4.8% from the previous year, or about 310,000 fewer identities. Meanwhile, the average time spent on social media has dropped to 1 hour and 42 minutes per day, an 8% decrease year-on-year.

This places Hong Kong near the bottom of global rankings for total social media use. In contrast, users in the Philippines and Indonesia spend over three hours daily on social platforms. Among Hong Kong’s adult users (aged 18+), 85.5% are active on social media; of all user identities, 54.1% are women, while 45.9% are men.

According to Meta's ad audience statistics, digital advertising in Hong Kong still targets a younger demographic, despite the city’s population being mostly older and nearly everyone having access to the internet.

Here’s how Meta’s adult ad audience breaks down by age:

Users in the 18–24 age group make up 8.2% female and 5.4% male. While Gen Z is present, they don’t dominate the space the way they do in markets with longer social media usage.

The majority of users are in the 25–34 age group, with 16.8% female and 12.1% male. These millennials can be best engaged on Meta platforms, making them a key target for marketers and communicators in Hong Kong.

Those aged 35–44 follow, with 15% female and 10.8% male. Although their engagement is slightly lower than the group before them, they still represent a substantial portion of the audience.

Among users aged 45–54, the numbers taper to 7.8% female and 6.8% male; meanwhile, the 55–64 age group accounts for 4.3% female and 4.4% male. Remember that this age range makes up a large share of Hong Kong’s overall population and internet users—but not its social media audience, making it a challenge to engage this group with campaigns that rely solely on social platforms.

Lastly, users aged 65 and above account for 4.4% female and 4.1% male.

Millennials form the bulk of Hong Kong's ad-targeted demographic. The gap between the targeted audiences and the actual online population highlights the importance of more suitable social media monitoring and listening to better understand who users really are and how they behave online.

Hong Kong stands apart from other regional markets in that older generations are online—but not targeted with ads. What makes its social media audience especially worth watching is the strong presence of users aged 35–44 at a time when viral trends, marketing language, and platform culture—especially on TikTok and Instagram—can often miss the mark with older crowds.

In general, keeping in touch and staying informed are the two main reasons why Hongkongers use social media. The most popular reason is simply to fill spare time, with 43.6% of users turning to social media when they have a minute to spare. A close second, 42% use it to keep in touch with friends and family—showing that users enjoy staying connected with loved ones during the hour-plus they spend on these platforms each day.

Reading news articles ranks third at 30.6%, demonstrating that many rely on social media to quickly scan updates and headlines. Related to this, 29.7% say they use it to see what’s being discussed—whether it’s breaking news, viral posts, or trending topics.

However, the fifth reason stands out the most. According to 26.5% of Hong Kong social media users, seeing content from their favourite brands is a major reason they use these platforms. This shows that users aren’t just aimlessly scrolling—they’re actively awaiting new product drops and exclusive updates from brands they follow. In this way, social media plays a key role in how consumers discover, shop, and maintain a relationship with the labels they love—giving brands in Hong Kong a clear opportunity to engage their audience with thoughtful marketing strategies.

Most used social media platforms in Hong Kong

Among Hong Kong's social media users aged 16 and above, 70.6% use both Facebook and WhatsApp. Hong Kong’s numerous millennials and Gen Xers use Facebook as a central hub for community news and content sharing. WhatsApp, on the other hand, is a key part of daily communication, whether for personal or professional use, thanks to its reliable messaging features and simple interface.

Instagram is the third most used platform in Hong Kong, with 58.2% of users active on it monthly. WeChat ranks fourth at 49.4%. While more widely adopted in China, it remains important in Hong Kong—particularly for those with strong personal or professional ties to the mainland.

These platform preferences show that Hongkongers have varied communication needs. They also reflect the straightforward way social media is used in the city: to stay connected and stay informed.

It is becoming increasingly vital for Hong Kong's companies to pay attention to and listen to chatter on social media platforms through social listening. Access to these kinds of social media statistics allows them to draw actionable insights and properly publish sound social media on their engagement platforms. Since their audiences are and will continue to be, growing in online places, addressing issues raised there is at the top of the to-do list for marketers in Hong Kong.

While YouTube doesn't rank among the most popular social networking sites in terms of monthly users, it is the most popular among Hongkongers when it comes to time spent. YouTube leads in engagement time, with an average of 22 hours and 31 minutes per month.

Several things make YouTube so popular in Hong Kong. When people want to watch videos they can't find anywhere else, they go to YouTube first. They rely on it for entertainment, product research, and educational content. This makes it an effective platform for companies to connect with consumers. Given the significant local interest in topics such as "Hong Kong," "music," and "movie," YouTube continues to serve as a key space for both entertainment and advertising. Notably, the popularity of the search term "Hong Kong" itself reflects users' strong interest in local news, food, culture, and everything tied to the city.

Following YouTube, Facebook users spend an average of 13 hours and 47 minutes per month on the platform, while Instagram users average 12 hours and 53 minutes. WhatsApp users engage for about 9 hours and 46 minutes monthly, and TikTok rounds out the top five with 8 hours and 58 minutes per month.

The demographics of YouTube's Hong Kong advertising audience closely mirror the city’s population: middle-aged and older. Ad reach on YouTube increases with age, unlike other platforms that typically cater to younger users. The largest share of YouTube ads targets those aged 65 and above, with a near-perfect declining trend across younger age groups. Given the global dominance of Gen Z and millennials on social media, insights like this are only possible through proper social listening and media monitoring tools.

Here’s the breakdown of YouTube ad audience in Hong Kong:

55–64 years old: 8.6% female, 7.8% male

45–54 years old: 9.7% female, 6.9% male

35–44 years old: 10.2% female, 7.3% male

25–34 years old: 7.1% female, 6.9% male

18–24 years old: 3.2% female, 3.2% male

Without the right tools and resources, your YouTube ad spend could easily go toward content made by influencers or campaigns aimed at Gen Z. But in Hong Kong, the cost of that kind of miscalculation could reach millions. Imagine crafting a youth-oriented TikTok-style collaboration with a trendy brand, only for your ad to be shown to a 70-year-old man who just wants to watch the news. Knowing your target demographic isn’t just helpful—it’s the line between a successful campaign and a total miss.

Shown here in 2025 are mobile usage statistics in Hong Kong that exemplify a society deeply connected through the black screens in their pockets, supported by excellent infrastructure and extensive use of mobile technology.

Mobile usage stands out in Hong Kong: on average, every resident has more than two cellular mobile connections, with 17.4 million connections accounting for 235% of the total population. This reflects the pervasive integration of mobile devices into everyday life and shows that most individuals maintain multiple connections.

A total of 790,000 new mobile connections were added over the past year, marking a 4.8% increase. A high percentage of these connections are broadband (3G, 4G, or 5G), guaranteeing dependable and fast communication across all devices.

To sum up, mobile usage in Hong Kong in 2025 reflects a population that is tech-savvy and equipped with access to state-of-the-art services. The city’s high penetration rates and widespread 5G adoption show just how central mobile connectivity is to everyday life.

While mobile internet use is high in Hong Kong, the graph above demonstrates that many people still prefer to access the internet using desktop computers and laptops. Traditional computing remains significant alongside mobile, with 43.84% of online traffic in Hong Kong originating from laptops and desktops.

That said, mobile phones are still the leading source, accounting for 50.86% of all online traffic—a 5.6% increase from the previous year.

As a footnote to mobile usage in Hong Kong, the prevalence of Android smartphones is a notable observation about mobile web traffic. In December 2024, Android phones accounted for 50.61% of all mobile web page requests, slightly more than iOS at 46.33%.

Online shopping is becoming more popular in Hong Kong. In 2024, 3.84 million individuals shopped for consumer goods online, up 9.7% from the previous year, or 340,000 more buyers. Additionally, online purchases of consumer products reached $4.77 billion USD, an increase of 9.2% or $402 million compared to the previous year, indicating a general trend of growth in online spending. Online shoppers brought in an average of $1,242 USD annually, a decline of 0.6% from the previous year’s total; although this figure is down, the rise in overall spending signals strong consumer activity in Hong Kong’s e-commerce space.

With a year-over-year growth of 7.1%, mobile commerce contributed significantly to this trend, making up 45% of total e-commerce expenditure in 2024. This further reflects the confidence and trust that Hongkongers have in using mobile phones for purchases.

In 2024, fashion was by far the most popular online shopping category in Hong Kong. At $2.31 billion USD, the fashion industry was the undisputed leader in e-commerce sales. Online marketplaces like ZALORA offer products from well-known global brands like PUMA, Calvin Klein, and New Balance, while Lane Crawford features luxury labels such as Balenciaga and Bottega Veneta. At the same time, local brands like Sau Lee appeal to the city's multicultural palate by fusing Eastern and Western styles.

Online sales in the electronics sector also performed well, reaching $540 million USD. Fortress, which sells a variety of appliances and consumer gadgets, was a popular destination for online shoppers in Hong Kong. With $529 million USD in online sales, furniture emerged as a key category in the e-commerce scene. Many people now shop for stylish pieces for their homes at stores like IKEA. Sustainable furniture is also gaining traction through local retailers like TREE, which attract eco-conscious shoppers.

Social Media Statistics for Hong Kong [Updated 2025]

Somehow, we’re more than halfway through 2025, making now the perfect time to check back in on those goals and intentions we set all the way back in January. If you started out the year intending to change your spending habits, you’re not alone. Financial goals were the most-discussed resolutions on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day 2025. At the same time, the internet was buzzing about no-buy, slow-buy, and low-spend challenges intended to help people meet those goals. But how has interest in these challenges held up over the course of a half-year filled with tariff wars, increased buy now, pay later service usage, and persistent price pressure? We used our social listening solution to learn more about how the no-buy challenge conversation is shaping up online. 

A no-buy challenge, also known as a no-spend challenge, is a self-imposed restriction on non-essential spending observed over a certain period of time like a month or a year. While no-buy challenges often focus on saving money and financial health, variations like low-buy/low-spend and slow-buy/slow-spend emphasize more mindful spending rather than cutting out shopping altogether. In any case, what all of these challenges have in common is countering overconsumption and the impulse to spend beyond your means. Participating in the challenges often includes making a list of items and services you’re allowed to spend money on, a list of those you’re not, and sometimes a list of activities to do instead of spending money.

How popular are no-buy challenges online?

Social and media mentions of no-buy and related challenges spiked 32x higher than average on December 28, 2024.

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