TikTok is targeting more than just its social media rivals. According to Google internal data first reported by TechCrunch, nearly 40% of Gen Z prefers searching on TikTok and Instagram over Google Search and Maps. TikTok, the fastest-growing social media app, has exploded in popularity in recent years, inspiring social media competitors Instagram and Snapchat to launch copycat video features in Reels and Spotlight.
A Google executive has now confirmed that TikTok's format is changing the way young people conduct internet searches, and that Google is working hard to keep up.
According to Google senior vice president Prabhakar Raghavan at the Fortune Brainstorm Tech conference, "something like nearly 40% of young people when they're looking for a place for lunch, they don't go to Google Maps or Search, they go to TikTok or Instagram." According to Google, "we face robust competition from a variety of sources, including general and specialised search engines, as well as dedicated apps."
Google highlighted changes to its search engine that it plans to make to appeal to a younger audience, such as the ability for a user to pan their camera over an area and "instantly glean insights about multiple objects in a larger scene."