Tiago Bianchi
Research expert covering internet & gaming in Latin America and Spain
Get in touch with us nowHow do Chileans use social media?
With the highest social media penetration among Latin America’s biggest markets, few obstacles stand between Chileans and social media usage. The broad internet access and quality of online connectivity, both at home and via mobile devices, allow its citizens to enjoy and consume social media extensively, with at least 83 percent of its users claiming to visit these platforms daily.Like the rest of Latin Americans, messaging apps are extremely popular in Chile, being the most used type of platform. However, Chileans seem to be keener on interacting with shared online content instead of primarily sending private messages, as local users are most driven into social media to keep in touch with each other.
What are the most popular social media platforms in Chile?
With four of its services leading Chile’s social media market in terms of usage reach, Meta has yet another flag set on top of one of Latin America's most important markets. WhatsApp and Instagram lead in terms of penetration, while Facebook still leads regarding the number of users. Relying on the country’s solid connectivity, Chileans also enjoy a broad consumption of online video content, with platforms like YouTube and newcomers like TikTok claiming their share of the limelight.Despite the growth of TikTok throughout the region, Meta’s apps and platforms remain much preferred by Chileans. While both TikTok and Instagram are primarily used for entertainment, Instagram still takes the lead with a larger audience and longer average daily usage time, amounting to more than double the one of the Chinese app.
Brands and influencers on top
With the third fastest-growing digital ad market worldwide, Chile’s advertising sector is heavily powered by its social media landscape, which represents around 32 percent of the sector. As Chilean internet users rank among those that most use social media for brand research, local investments in social media advertisements escalated to over 84 billion Chilean pesos for both the years 2021 and 2022.With such a profitable and easily accessible market, influencers also thrive amid Chile’s fertile social media landscape and its avid audience habits. Around 68 percent of Instagram users follow influencers, while little more than 62 percent do so on TikTok. Additionally, Chilean YouTubers also enjoy enormous popularity, featuring among the most popular channels in Latin America. This popularity is well-employed, with almost 40 percent of Instagram users claiming to have bought a product based on influencer recommendations.
