Half of Malaysian Internet Users Engage With ChatGPT

By The Malketeer

For the first time in human history, more than six billion people are online and nearly 5.7 billion are active on social media.

That’s two out of every three humans on the planet scrolling, liking, sharing, and increasingly generating with AI.

Welcome to the age of the digital supermajority, where social media has officially outnumbered non-users two to one, and AI has crossed the one-billion-user mark.

A World Fully Online and Fragmented

The Digital 2026 report by We Are Social and Meltwater paints a striking picture: connectivity is universal, but attention is anything but.

The average internet user now spends 2.5 hours daily on social and video platforms, hopping between six or seven different apps.

As We Are Social’s Southeast Asia MD, Naiyen Wang, puts it:

“People are active across seven or more platforms — attention is fragmented. That’s why brands need to be agile and culturally relevant, not just present.”

This fragmentation is even more pronounced in mobile-first markets like Southeast Asia, where social discovery, shopping, and entertainment blur into a seamless digital continuum.

Malaysia: Eight Platforms Deep and Growing

Malaysia ranks among the world’s most socially active nations, with users juggling an average of 8.3 platforms — nearly as high as the Philippines’ 8.36.

More tellingly, Malaysians are now more likely to discover brands via social media ads than through search engines or websites.

This confirms a generational shift in brand discovery, with 34% of Gen Z and 32% of Millennials citing social media ads as their top source for learning about new products and services.

It’s an era where brand discovery happens on the scroll, not the search bar.

TikTok, YouTube, Threads — The New Attention Triangle

TikTok may dominate the headlines, but Digital 2026 data shows that YouTube still reigns supreme in total active users — nearly 50% more than TikTok.

However, TikTok wins on intensity: its typical user spends 1 hour and 37 minutes daily on the app, far higher than any rival.

Across Southeast Asia:

• 22.3% of TikTok’s global ad audience comes from this region.
• Thailand, Vietnam, and the Philippines are among TikTok’s top five most active markets.
• Facebook remains the region’s second-largest social force, making up 17.3% of its global ad audience.
• Threads, interestingly, has found surprising traction in Malaysia and Indonesia, with more than a quarter of internet users active monthly.

The attention economy isn’t shrinking — it’s multiplying.

Brands are in an arms race to stay meaningful across formats and contexts.

AI Crosses One Billion: From Search to Companionship

Perhaps the most transformative finding: over one billion people now use generative AI tools each month.

OpenAI’s CEO recently revealed that ChatGPT alone sees 800 million weekly users, underscoring how AI has shifted from novelty to necessity.

In Malaysia, nearly half (48.4%) of internet users engaged with ChatGPT in the past month.

In Vietnam, 61% express enthusiasm for AI — one of the highest rates globally.

Fascinatingly, the top use case worldwide?  “Therapy and companionship.”

We’ve entered a phase where algorithms don’t just answer questions — they listen, soothe, and converse.

From Search Engines to Social Feeds

A quieter revolution is happening under marketers’ noses: only 80% of online adults now use a traditional search engine each month, down from previous highs.

Instead, people are increasingly “searching socially” — discovering products through influencers, comments, and AI summaries rather than typed queries.

As Meltwater’s Chief Strategy Officer, Alexandra Bjertnæs, observes:

“Among younger audiences, social media ads now carry more weight than traditional search. The rise of GenAI is transforming how people find and trust information.”

Trust is becoming platform-dependent and increasingly emotional.

Digital Ad Spend Keeps Climbing

The report projects US$1.16 trillion in global ad spending this year, with digital commanding 74% of the total.

Social media ads alone will reach US$277 billion, up 13.6% year-on-year.

In Southeast Asia, digital now accounts for more than three-quarters of all ad spend in Singapore — a benchmark Malaysia is fast approaching.

For marketers, this signals both opportunity and overload: a need to navigate not just where audiences are, but why they’re there.

What This Means for Marketers

1. Platform-native creativity wins.
   Stop recycling campaigns. Tailor content to fit the culture, tone, and tempo of each platform.
2. AI is a companion, not a threat.
   Consumers are already conversing with it. Brands should too — with authenticity and empathy.
3. Attention is a mosaic.
   The future isn’t about dominance but presence — being discoverable, memorable, and meaningful across fragmented moments.
4. Trust is the new currency.
   With misinformation fears rising (especially in Singapore, the Philippines, and Thailand), brands that act transparently will earn the right to be heard.

Digital 2026 is more than a report; it’s a reflection of where humanity is heading online.

Six billion connected souls, one billion engaging with AI — all seeking meaning, relevance, and belonging in a noisy digital universe.

For marketers, that’s not just a statistic.

It’s a sacred invitation: to connect, not just communicate.

Source: We Are Social & Meltwater “Digital 2026” Global Report (All data as of October 2025)