Global Tech Trends: India
This summer I spent 5 weeks travelling in India. I was intrigued, surprised, and at times puzzled by the way people there use popular apps and technology, so I thought I would share my observations a la Josh Miller’s Tenth Grade Tech Trends.
This was an interesting study because though India is technically a third world country, it is still extremely high tech. Furthermore, the cities I visited (Mumbai, Delhi, and Bangalore) are the top three metropolitan cities in India.
Most of my findings reflect the views of my peer group — high school and college students — but I was also able to get some valuable insights from unexpected sources.
Android vs iPhone
Price is the dominating factor in the iPhone vs Android war in India. Androids in India are significantly cheaper than iPhones. In India there is no option to buy an iPhone at a discounted rate through a contract with a mobile carrier — the only option is to buy at full price, which is around $800 for an iPhone 5. The average middle class Indian cannot afford to pay this, so they resort to cheaper and older Android models instead.
That being said, iPhones still dominate my peer group. Most of my friends, who are on the upper income bracket, have the iPhone 5.
My takeaway: Among those who can afford it, iPhone is by far the preferred option. The rumored iPhone 5c could really shake things up.
Facebook is still widely used among my friends in India, but they admit that they have changed the way they use the site. “I’m not bored of it. It’s still the best way to stay in touch with people without really making an effort” said a college-aged friend. That being said, she also feels that she uses it much differently than she did when she was in high school. She doesn't remember the last time she wrote something on someone’s wall, and she only messages people if she doesn't have their number.
I asked some high schoolers what they thought and they said they only use Facebook for browsing; they barely update their statuses or post photos. “Facebook is too public,” said a mature 15 year old friend of mine. “There are some things I feel that are better off kept slightly more private than for the whole world to see.”
My takeaway: Facebook is still the best way to keep in touch with friends, but people are not actively posting as much as they used to in the past. It has become very impersonal.
My high school friends (in the US) started using Instagram in the 2011-2012 school year, and at the time most of us used it for the cools filters without even realizing the social functions.
The majority of my friends from India started using Instagram in the past year. My friend who attends high school in Mumbai was telling me about how she and her friends use Instagram way more than Facebook now. She initially had a public profile with over 1000 followers, but she deleted that and created a new private account with around 200 followers.
“My Instagram photos are more random and fun. Its just weird to post on Facebook and I don’t want to show so many photos. My Instagram account is safer.” She and her friends are more comfortable posting pictures of themselves on Instagram than on Facebook, which I found bewildering.
Some other interesting observations: When I met new people my age, they would follow me on Instagram instead of adding me as a friend on Facebook. Also, my friends in India were completely unaware of the “unspoken rule” to not post more than a photo a day, and they aren't so concerned with their follower/following ratios.
My takeaway: Instagram distills the best of what Facebook offers (social photo sharing) and cuts one of the worst parts (too public/impersonal) by creating an intimate feel. Also, I suspect that people prefer to post pictures of themselves on Instagram because the filters can be quite flattering.
Whatsapp is HUGE. No one texts or iMessages, they Whatsapp. It’s especially great for group texting and communicating with friends in other countries. Mobile carriers offer competitive pricing for 3G. On a prepaid plan I paid less than $10 for 3GB. Whatsapp is also reminiscent of BBM, which was a favorite among the Indian crowd. And they use it like BBM too — they regularly change their display pictures and statuses.
Even my driver who is 65 years old communicated with me via Whatsapp. He sent me stock images and videos, too.
My takeaway: Whatsapp has an extremely powerful user base in India. Last month they announced that they have over 20 million active users in India. With the rise of smartphone users in India, this number will only continue to increase. I wonder what will be next for them, considering how much potential they have.
Not much to report on Twitter, since practically none of my friends in India use it. They think its dumb and they don’t understand the point, which interestingly enough is exactly how I felt about Twitter before I started using it.
But, I heard a young man working in a cell phone store who spoke barely any English used the word “hashtag” instead of “pound sign,” which was quite funny.
My takeaway: Twitter needs to widen its appeal to new users. Also, social media lingo has migrated into everyday vernacular.
Uber
Uber should definitely enter the Indian market. There is a huge demand in my peer group for a service like this. It is the norm in India for families to have drivers, but kids my age usually have to share a car with their siblings so there are almost always conflicts. Furthermore, most families send their drivers home in the evenings which leaves my friends car-less when they go out late at night. Taxis don’t have a great reputation and aren't even considered as a safe option. They are dirty, smelly, and according to my friends, “sketchy.”
There is a widespread belief that Indian consumers are less likely to pay for excellent customer service, but I know that my friends’ parents are more than willing to pay for their sons and daughters’ safety.
My takeaway: Combine the popping nightlife scene and the danger of taking ordinary taxis, and I see the perfect opportunity for Uber to expand to Indian metro-cities.
Fixing my Macbook Air
During my trip my Macbook Air suddenly stopped working so I went to an “Apple authorized” computer repair shop to have it checked out. I pulled out my laptop and right away all the employees in the store (all working class young men) dropped what they were doing to come observe what was happening. They told me they were mesmerized because very few of their clients have Macs. They were craving to learn.
Unfortunately, they were unable to repair my laptop, and when I came back to the US and took it to the Genius Bar they said it had been tampered with and quoted me with an insane amount to fix it, but I digress. The Indian employees’ eagerness and sincerity in wanting to help was refreshing and admirable.
My takeaway: Indians are absolutely fascinated with technology.
iOS7
iOS7 is unanimously loved. As one of my friends put it, “It’s fucking good. It looks sexy.” To my friends its like a shiny, new toy and they can’t wait to get their hands on it. A couple of them who are completely non-technical even tried out the beta version for developers because they just couldn't wait and wanted to show it off to their friends.
My takeaway: Hacker News has no taste.
There’s a glimpse into how people on the other side of the globe are using technology. Thoughts? Questions? Would love to hear them, tweet me @ninavir!
