Gen Z’s Google: Social Media — — How can brands play the game?
When you want to find the answer to a question, who do you turn to? Friends? Search engines? In different countries, the answers may vary; most people might say ‘Google it.’ In China, we say ‘Baidu it’ (Baidu being China’s largest search engine). But in today’s age of information overload, would you still choose to Google where to have dinner tonight? For Generation Z, who grew up in the era of the internet explosion, social media has accompanied them at every stage of their development. They increasingly tend to seek answers to their questions on social media. Most Gen Z Use Social Media as a Search Engine mentions that Generation Z uses social media to search as much as they use Google.
I believe that the proportion of young people using social media as search engines will continue to grow. However, this doesn’t necessarily mean the failure or decline of traditional search engines. Instead, it signifies that both brands and platforms need to prioritize consumer needs to create content that resonates with them.
The proportion of young people using social media as search engines will continue to increase.
As a true Gen Z individual, I’ve noticed that in recent years, I’ve been using traditional search engines less and less. My friends and I prefer to search on social media platforms. This covers a wide range of topics, from learning to job hunting, from sports to travel, from buying clothes to skincare and makeup products. Basically, no one around me would choose to Google what kind of makeup would suit their skin type best. I think the reason for this is that consumers nowadays are increasingly inclined towards interactive experiences rather than receiving one-way answers from traditional search engines.
For example, when you ask a question to a traditional search engine, like “Do you have any recommendations for foundation suitable for dry skin?” the response you might get is an article listing a few brands. But when you pose the same question on social media, you receive responses from people who have had firsthand experience with similar products. Moreover, if you’re still unsure, you can ask follow-up questions to those individuals and receive further responses. This creates a two-way interactive process rather than a one-sided reception of answers.
In this process, consumers feel that interacting with real people on social media is much more reliable than receiving a single answer from a traditional search engine because they’re not just talking to a computer; they’re engaging with real people behind the screen, and the conversation can continue to evolve. After experiencing such rich interactive experiences, consumers are less likely to settle for single answers.
This doesn’t mean the failure or decline of traditional search engines.
Although Gen Z is using traditional search engines less and less, when it comes to needing information for professional learning or official answers, people still prefer to turn to traditional search engines and “Google it.” This is because, on social media, while there are answers from various individuals, we are not always certain about their expertise or whether their responses are official and trustworthy. Therefore, when I need official information such as demographics or specific data about a certain area, I would choose to search for answers on Google rather than relying on social media.
It’s a good thing for brands.
Brands should consider themselves fortunate as the evolving times provide them with diverse avenues to engage with consumers, offering more room for creativity and the use of different strategies to attract different consumer segments.
They can create more interactive and widely accepted content on social media platforms. For example, take the brand Cerave, a highly specialized skincare brand backed by numerous scientists to support its efficacy. They can let more social media users create content related to Cerave, to increase the brand’s visibility among the public and provide answers to consumers curious about the brand.
On traditional search engines, we can cover aspects like the addition of new ingredients in products and their proven effectiveness in clinical trials within 20 days for visible results. Such scientifically driven content can be disseminated through articles like “The Most Professional and Scientific Skincare Product Rankings” or “Skincare Products Recommended by Dermatologists,” catering to consumers who prioritize professionalism.
For traditional search engines, the focus should be on understanding what core aspects consumers value when using social media and search engines. They should strive to produce authoritative and credible content that remains unrivaled by other platforms.
