From Facebook to Reddit, see which app was voted SA’s worst

Has TikTok truly taken over SA? Has Facebook still got a following? Here's a look at which apps Mzansi's netizens love and hate

25 July 2024 - 13:31 By THANGO NTWASA (COMPILED)
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Facebook comes out tops as South Africa's most preferred social media platform.
Facebook comes out tops as South Africa's most preferred social media platform.
Image: Supplied

The increasing number of social media apps change the way we communicate with each other. While some have become synonymous with easily sharing information, others are known for perpetuating hatred.

E-mail tracker Mailsuite analysed five star user ratings for 1,500 communications and social media companies on Google Play to collate those that perform best and worst globally.

To determine the winning platforms, they looked at which ones had strong Google Play ratings. They also compiled a list from date aggregation company SimilarWeb which has an annual top 50 list that reviews 1,493 apps.

FACEBOOK VS REDDIT

TikTok takes over the world with highest rated apps.
TikTok takes over the world with highest rated apps.
Image: Supplied
Reddit was rated the worst by South Africans.
Reddit was rated the worst by South Africans.
Image: Supplied

While social media users have created much talk about the best to use between Facebook and Twitter (now known as X), it seems Facebook has taken the crown as South Africa's favourite. Globally it took the third spot, favoured by 12 countries and beaten by Meta's newcomer Threads (with 15 favouring countries) and TikTok, which took the top spot with 30 countries showing preference.

Reddit, however, came out the worst in South Africa, with Facebook taking the top spot for most hated in 39 countries.

GMAIL VS OUTLOOK

Outlook takes the top spot in South Africa and the world.
Outlook takes the top spot in South Africa and the world.
Image: Supplied
Fast and Smart mail made low impressions in South Africa.
Fast and Smart mail made low impressions in South Africa.
Image: Supplied

Outlook took the top spot in South Africa, making it one of the 46 countries that rated it high. Gmail fell short in the ratings with 36 countries. Fast and Smart Mail did not make any impressions in South Africa as a poor performing service locally.

WHATSAPP VS FACEBOOK MESSENGER

Facebook messenger rated highest in South Africa.
Facebook messenger rated highest in South Africa.
Image: Supplied
Telegram and Discord fall short.
Telegram and Discord fall short.
Image: Supplied

As WhatsApp continues to enjoy global domination, it would seem many are not appreciative of its services, barely making it into the top five. The app secured a third and fifth spot in the most hated for WhatsApp Business and WhatsApp Messenger respectively.

South Africans also did not give WhatsApp's services a top rating, with Facebook Messenger coming out as the best. The worst-rated messenger app in the country was Telegram, owning the fourth spot globally. The most hated was gaming messenger Discord, in 32 countries.


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