For many, carrying out a search is something as simple as opening Google and entering what you want to search for. For many, this is a daily and routine task.
But it seems that this trend is changing slightly for younger generations, who now, instead of using Google, choose to carry out these same searches on platforms such as TikTok and Instagram.
During the Fortune Brainstorm Tech 2022, which took place in Colorado, Google's SVP, Prabhakar Raghavan, said that younger people are drastically changing the way they conduct searches on the internet.
Raghavan says that many younger users are now turning to platforms like Instagram and TikTok to search for certain questions or terms. For example, many turn to TikTok to look for the best place to eat, rather than using Google or Maps.
Google has also confirmed these statements, indicating that the data will have been obtained from an internal study of the company, carried out with users in the US aged between 18 and 24 years. The data is still under analysis, so it is not entirely public – but should soon appear on the company's platforms.
BUT: Google points TikTok and Instagram as its big rivals
In the long run, this could prove to be a problem for Google. The company has been focused on Internet searches for years, and is currently one of the best sources of information out there. However, with more and more young people using alternative platforms, this could dictate fewer and fewer people to carry out searches on the search engine.
In addition, it is important to bear in mind that the information provided in TikTok or Instagram searches is far from what is provided by Google in its services – but this does not seem to matter for younger people.
