The social media landscape in Cambodia is not merely expanding in terms of user count, but also expanding its influence on how Cambodians perceive the world, discover things, decide who to trust, and most importantly, make their daily purchase decision.
1. The Rise of Social Media Usage in Cambodia
According to DataReportal, Cambodia had 14.0 million social media user identities in October 2025, accounting for 77.9% of the total population. Data from the United Nations indicate that the number of social media user identities increased by 208 thousand (+1.2 percent) between the end of 2024 and the end of 2025.
Platform dominance also reveals how information circulates. Data from StatCounter indicates that approximately 65% of social media users are active on Facebook, while around 27% use YouTube, reinforcing their role as primary channels for discovery and discussion.
In Cambodia, social media is no longer limited to entertainment or casual communication. To some, it is their main news source, their recommendation engine, and their marketplace.
2. The Shift in How Social Media Is Used
Over recent years, social media in Cambodia has evolved from a space for posting and scrolling into a platform for buying, asking, and deciding.
This change is most visible in the rise of social commerce. Purchases are increasingly made directly through comment sections, private messages, and livestreams rather than through traditional e-commerce websites. Despite the rapid digitalization happening in Cambodia, short-form videos and promotional clips functioning as storefronts are the most preferred way of selling and buying online.
At the same time, creators and influencers have taken on a more significant role. Their recommendations are not perceived as advertisements alone but as guidance from trusted individuals. As a result, brands have gradually shifted away from highly polished, corporate-style advertising toward more relatable, human-centered content that blends naturally into everyday feeds.
3. Who Cambodians Trust in Purchase Decisions
Trust in Cambodia’s digital environment is built less through brand authority and more through familiarity.
Consumers tend to trust faces they see repeatedly—creators, influencers, or community figures—often more than official brand pages. Repeated exposure, shared language, and perceived similarity create a sense of closeness that traditional advertising struggles to replicate.
This dynamic is reinforced by low-level parasocial relationships, where audiences feel they “know” the people they follow. Authenticity and relatability, rather than production value, become the primary drivers of influence and purchase decisions.
4. What This Means for Marketing in Cambodia
These shifts carry clear implications for businesses:
- Influencer marketing is effective because it mirrors real-life trust networks.
- Consistent presence on social platforms often outperforms one-time, large-scale campaigns.
- Local context matters more than global marketing templates due to cultural and social differences.
- Comment sections, engagement patterns, and audience interaction are not secondary metrics—they are central signals of credibility.
To market effectively in Cambodia, brands must understand social media not simply as a channel, but as a social ecosystem built on trust, familiarity, and community.
