TikTok As A Search Engine

Reports of TikTok being used as a search engine has millennial and Gen-Y marketers quaking in their boots.

Since its rise in popularity during the lockdown, older generations have shunned TikTok as anything more than a Child's app. But that is quickly changing following reports. More younger generations are turning to social media to find relevant information.

According to TechCrunch, Google's Prabhakar Raghavan, a senior vice president in charge of Google Search, said, "In our studies, something like almost 40 percent 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." He's referring to a survey of U.S. users ages 18 to 24.

The statistic does not surprise me as someone within that age group and a marketer. Growing up alongside the internet, I quickly realised I could customise my experience to my needs and wants. Specific applications would give me access to news, others could show me trends/recipes, and others could show in-person footage of live events.

I always thought back to the Capital Riots in 2021. My phone buzzed with breaking news on the BBC app. I saw live footage streamed from Twitter, then went to Snapchat maps to view the live in-person footage from behind both lines of the riot. For hours and days afterwards, I was shown more footage on TikTok, combined with opinions from people across the globe.

There was not a single time when I turned to Google.

This weekend, I used TikTok to see footage of the wild scenes in Oxford Street. Any weekend, I’d use the app to find free and fun ways to spend my day.

If truth be told, I only really use Google for professional research. Even then, I tend to know what websites to search through. As a marketer, you often have to use all the tools at your disposal if you want to get the best experience possible. But outside of my 9-5, I exclusively use social media to navigate my way around life. This is why this news like this feels a bit like stating the obvious.

Geo-specific reccomendations on TikTok

Similar to how people use Pinterest to find holiday recommendations. Users also trust TikTok to show them geo-specific recommendations in their local area. As a Londoner, I get videos of pop-ups, art installations, accessible venues, and restaurants around London. When I find something I want to try, I like it so I can see it later (I also have the option to save to a folder, but I’m not that organised), and in doing so, I let TikTok’s algorithm now I’m ready to see more of this content when possible.

Why would I have a need to go anywhere else?

Google’s expired recipe algorithm

Where TikTok shows in-depth videos and visual aids on how to make all sorts of recipes. Google's recipe algorithm is well past its use-by date. It feels like a running joke amongst bloggers that to find a recipe through google or Pinterest…you need to spend five minutes scrolling through the writer's entire life story. Of course, that's done for SEO purposes, but it's 2022. Why is black hat SEO still causing so much hassle when all I want to do is cook vodka spaghetti?

TikTok can instantly grab your attention, give you the recipe information you need, and show you enough stunning footage of the food to make you want to run to the shops ASAP.

Emily Mariko, one of the most popular food creators on TikTok, doesn't talk to her 11.5 million followers in her videos; instead, she lets the food speak for itself. She draws the viewer in with her straightforward visual recipes and tidy plating, showing how enticing video recipes can be without someone telling you every single step. It's a massive draw for 23-year-old Kyra Papazian. "I mainly use TikTok and Instagram to look up recipes as opposed to searching that on Google," she told Mashable. "It can be a specific search like 'banana bread' or [a] general search like, 'dinner ideas.' It's much easier than searching a recipe on Google and scrolling through a long article."

TikTok: The new news source

A UK survey found that TikTok is the fastest growing news source among young adults ages 16 to 24. This obviously raises alarm because of the rampant misinformation on the platform, but young users claim to know what topics to avoid on the platform (like COVID, Health, and some Political news) and what may require further research.

Ofcom's annual report on news consumption in the UK showed that for teenagers aged 12-15, Instagram has deposed BBC One and BBC Two as the most popular news source, closely followed by TikTok and YouTube.

"Teenagers today are increasingly unlikely to pick up a newspaper or tune into TV News, instead preferring to keep up-to-date by scrolling through their social feeds," said Yih-Choung Teh, Ofcom's group director for strategy and research. "And while youngsters find news on social media less reliable, they rate these services more highly for serving up a range of opinions on the day's topical stories."

The Ofcom study showed that news organisations have to compete with non-journalist TikTokers as a news source on the platform. For those who consume news on TikTok, their main source is other people they follow (44%), followed by friends and family (32%) and then news organisations (24%). The most popular official news sources on TikTok include Sky News, the BBC and ITV.

The app also became a prevalent source of coverage for the defamation case brought by Johnny Depp against his ex-wife Amber Heard in the US, with the platform's videos appearing to skew heavily in favour of Depp, who ultimately won the case. On TikTok, videos posted with the #JusticeForJohnnyDepp hashtag gained more than 20bn views in two months, while the derogatory #AmberTurd had billions of views.

Avoiding misinformation on TikTok

Of course, with any type of report regarding news consumption from non-official sources - there's often a hot take on misinformation risks.

But bear in mind we've survived the Trump-era, the COVID-deniers, and flat-earthers. This generation is well aware of social media's risks and actively takes steps to avoid them. They look at public opinion and the whole debate rather than one side of the argument. Unlike older generations, they actively take a step to understand both sides of the discussion rather than viewing what they are likely to agree with.

In 2020, TikTok also recognised the risk of misinformation on their platform (take notes, Facebook) and partnered with fact-checking experts to combat the issue.

It’s time we stopped hating on TikTok

Let’s face it. TikTok is here to stay. As marketers were all aware that user/customer behaviour is never stagnant, but we’re somehow reluctant to accept it until it’s too late. Similar to YouTube and influencers in the early 2010’s tiktok has been viewed as a side hobby. Something of little value to businesses and brands -that hasn’t been the case for years. To truly be successful in marketing to younger generations, we need to accept that Google isn’t the only option.

This isn’t to say Google is irrelevant. I hope not, as it plays a key role in my day to day job. But it does mean that platform needs to change if it wants to maintain it’s stronghold over the new generation of internet users. Change is expected, but often ignored until it’s too late.