Gen Z’s Favorite Search Tool — TikTok

At the beginning of this week’s blog, I must talk about “Google”.
From the early 20th century to the last two years, Google search was so ubiquitous that most people used Google as their default search method. As the leader in the search engine industry, Google had 90.37% of the global leading desktop search engines market share in 2016, according to Statista. However, as recently as January 2024, Google’s market share had fallen to 81.95%. Nothing lasts forever, especially when it comes to TECHNOLOGY. The launch of ChatGPT, an artificial intelligence, and Social Media Search Engine are major blow to Google.

Nowadays, people have many other options besides searching on Google search engine, such as the A.I. Powered Search Engine — Perplexity, Google’s new AI — Gemini, Reddit, and TikTok mentioned in the New York Times.

TikTok has become popular as a search engine. According to a new study by Adobe, recently, for the young generation, 64% of Gen Z and 49% of millennials say their preferred search engine is not Google or Bing, but TikTok. Most users have become accustomed to using the social media platform TikTok as a search engine to retrieve specific content, such as recipes, music, and more.

Adobe explained why TikTok search is so appealing to people in their article.

“2 in 5 Gen Z said they are drawn to TikTok since it’s more personalized to their preferences”.

From the data above, we can see that TikTok attracts users because of its short and informative videos, unique storytelling format, and personalized content tailored to the audience.

When users were asked about their content preferences, 62% liked TikTok’s video tutorials the most, 39% appreciated product or service reviews, and 38% enjoyed the personal stories in TikTok.

I totally agree with the above two very convincing opinions given by Adobe. As a member of Gen Z, I want to share my own perspective.

1. Search Intent:

In terms of search intent, TikTok is more focused on physical life experience and product/service reviews, while Google provides a broader range of search services.

2. Content:

In terms of content, TikTok relies on user-generated vertical content, which can reflect a real experience for users and recommend personalized content, while Google focuses more on professional content.

3. Carrier format:

The carrier form of TikTok is relatively fixed and easier for users to consume, while Google provides a richer and more diverse content carrier.

I think it is not surprising that TikTok can become a popular search engine today, and it is indeed a good search engine platform for contemporary young people.