I’ve always been aware that different countries have different popular SNS apps — in South Korea everyone uses Kakaotalk while in Japan LINE is the app of choice. In Singapore, it looks like the apps everyone uses are Whatsapp and Telegram.
Luckily, I already had Whatsapp downloaded on my phone at the recommendation of a friend who lives abroad. It wasn’t particularly helpful in the US, where practically no one I knew used it, but now the app’s been quite useful in connecting me with friends and groups on campus, like in the group chat at the dorm I’m staying at.
On the other hand, I hadn’t ever heard of Telegram until I got to Singapore. I’ve been debating to and fro whether or not I should download it. On one hand, I’ve never been particularly active on social media. I don’t even have an Instagram account, and I’m fairly certain the last time I updated my Facebook page was two years ago. On the other hand, being connected to other people in Singapore through apps can be helpful navigating a new school and country, especially when I was asking around about courses and plans for the semester in creating my own schedule. I suppose in the end knowing what apps to use is just another way with trying to connect is another part of meeting new people in a new place.
Hello, thanks for this blog. I woul like to ask based on your experience. Do you need to buy a local number in Singapore so you can use Telegram? Thank you looking forward for your response. You can email me, rica.romana020@gmail.com