Less than one-fifth of companies operating in Southeast Asia have an interactive media strategy to connect with customers, according to a report by Baker & McKenzie.
The report also found that less than 5% of the same companies have a coherent internal social networking program.
While companies in the region are lagging behind individuals in terms of social media usage, compounding the problem is a lack of consistent regulatory response to increasingly contentious issues such as data protection, data sovereignty, and intellectual property rights.
Governments in the region are still debating whether to apply existing communications or media legal frameworks, or develop new regimes to specially govern social media to safeguard both organizations and individuals.
“Organizations have a lot to benefit from embracing social media. However there are real legal risks involved, particularly given the porous nature of the internet and the fact that most regulations in this region have not kept pace with the development of new features on social media platforms,” said Ken Chia, head of the information technology and communications industry group at Baker & McKenzie Singapore.
The hospitality, travel and finance industries are leading the pack in engagement with social media. Telecoms, advertising, banking, publishing, medical, retail and education are trailing behind.