The Future of Search is Social

“Google it.” One of the most popular phrases in the English language today includes a brand name, and as a verb at that. 

Shakespeare would have rolled his eyes, but at Google they (probably) rubbed their hands together. Their name caught on faster than other search engines of the past (RIP Ask Jeeves and Bing), but with social media ebbing deeper into our everyday lives, how long can Google keep their crown?

Well, research from SOCI published by Forbes into Gen Z highlights that the youngest amongst us are already taking to social platforms to search, with Google ranking in third place for 18-24 year olds in the US, behind Instagram and TikTok.

Content discovered through social media search feels more relatable to younger audiences, with advice from peers more readily available on social platforms than Google. Niche or specialist subjects are also owned to a greater extent on socials, with generations Z and Alpha able to ‘find their tribe’ through voices they trust.

Furthermore, there is undeniable value in our busy lives in watching and hearing someone answer your question, rather than reading through articles to find the section relevant to your search (keeping in mind that YouTube earns 3% of global searches, and has been a popular discovery tool for some time).

So, how does Google get the youngsters back? Last year they expanded their search offering to Japanese and Indian users to include an AI-powered tool, Search Generative Experience (SGE), which compiles comments and reviews alongside information about a search. Google has reported that satisfaction regarding this tool is highest amongst 18-24’s “who say they enjoy being able to ask follow-up questions conversationally”.

Other features have also been released, including one which highlights results from forums such as Reddit and another which tailors results to a user’s interests. 

However, reports claim that this shift to social searching is only beginning, with visual results that can be consumed in seconds more appealing than sifting through Google. TikTok themselves state that users are 1.8x more likely to agree that the platform introduces them to new topics they didn’t know they liked, suggesting that social platforms can engage users in the discovery stage beyond their initial search.

So, will we see Gen Z and younger generations continue to utilise social platforms as their go-to search tools? I’ll “TikTok it”.