Social platforms are becoming recommendation engines, product catalogs, local guides, and cultural filters. The opportunity is not to abandon Google. It is to stop treating search as a single behavior.
According to multiple studies, young people are increasingly using social media as a search tool, as opposed to traditional search engines like Google to answer their questions.
Google’s own research found 40% of Gen Z prefer social media platforms over traditional search engines, while eMarketer reported 46% of Generation Z and 35% of millennials prefer social media over traditional search engines. Meanwhile, Forbes Advisor found Gen Z uses Google 25% less than Gen X when searching.
Clearly, generationally there’s a pivot towards relying on Google Search less, though it’s also important to recognize that Google Search isn’t disappearing anytime soon. Overall, search engine use is flat, not declining. Rather, what’s happening is the same people are using Google Search less often. According to a Datos/SparkToro report, Google searches per user fell nearly 20% year over year.
There’s also evidence, situationally, that search engines are far more helpful than social media in information gathering. For example, in a 2026 Adobe Express survey, while 65% percent of Gen Z still said they’ve used TikTok as a search engine, only 25% found it effective for finding information.
For marketers to understand why exactly where social media fits into the online search ecosystem requires a more nuanced look at why social media is connecting a younger audience as a search tool.
Why Gen Z Is Embracing Social Media For Search
The simplest reason Gen Z is more likely to use social media for search, is they’re just on it more than other age cohorts. In 2024, 35% of Gen Zers spent over four hours a day on social media. In comparison, the average U.S. adult spends 1 hour and 50 minutes a day on social media.
However, there’s also some structural advantages social media has as a discovery tool.
More Visual Interface
It’s a far more visually appealing way to display information, with an endless scroll of relevant videos and pictures. In contrast, search engines are more text focused and often have become overwhelmed with ads. For instance, with Google Search you usually have to scroll through a few sponsored results before it displays the information you were actually looking for.
This is an issue Google is well aware of and overhauling their features to address. For example, Google Images just rolled out a redesign so that their discovery would look more like Pinterest.
Driven By Personal Recomendations
Recommendations mean more from people you know than from algorithms. That doesn’t mean social media platforms don’t utilize algorithms, they definitely do, but there’s also a layer of personal recommendations that social media networks can offer and search engines can’t.
For instance, 73% of Gen Z media consumers prefer TV and movie recommendations from social media over broader platforms, as they’re more interested in content their friends will personally vouch for.
Search Engines Not As Addictive
Gen Z spends on average 6 hours and 27 minutes on their phone, and while it’s theoretically possible to get push notifications from a search engine app, that’s not really how people use them. On the other hand, the average US smartphone user receives 46 app push notifications per day, and much of those notifications are from social media apps. Users receive constant pings from their phone over the course of a day, telling them to go back on social media, making it more likely they’ll use social media for search.
Users Are Not Searching On Social Media Platforms For The Same Things
One important distinction marketers need to keep in mind is there’s not a uniform reason that users are using search on social media and the reasons can vary from platform to platform. Here are some of the ways users are searching on key social media platforms:
According to Reddit, 78% of Redditors use the platform for recommendations more than once a month. Reddit is a platform users seek out peer recommendations on, and search engines actually have a major role in reinforcing that perception. Reddit comes up 97.5% of the time in Google Search product review queries, while 90% of users trust Reddit to learn about new products and brands
A Search Engine Land survey found 30.4% of 18-27 year olds find new products on Instagram. In comparison, 23.2% find new products on TikTok, 18.8% on Google, and 14.5% on YouTube. In the United States, 11% of all social media users actively shop on Instagram, with clothing/apparel, food and beverages, and beauty products (in that order) being the most purchased items.
25 million businesses use the shoppable posts and Checkout features on Instagram, and especially for retail and food marketers, it’s important to optimize your brand for discovery on Instagram.
TikTok
When Adobe asked Gen Z consumers why they used TikTok as a search engine, 26% said they like the short video format, 21% liked the storytelling aspect, and 17% liked the interactive experience. In terms of what type of content they were searching on TikTok, 61% of respondents were looking for video tutorials, 45% were looking for product reviews, 41% were after personal stories, and 33% were looking for influencer recommendations.
TikTok is a platform where authentic recommendations, real peer experiences, and lifestyle tips are driving search queries.
YouTube
With YouTube historically accounting for about 3% of all worldwide search engine traffic, ASMR is by far the most searched term on the platform. Top subject matters searched in the United States specifically also include music, karaoke, podcasts, news, funny videos, DIY videos, cooking recipes, gaming highlights, and travel vlogs.
Snapchat
45% of Gen Z use Snapchat for local search. That said, a deal with Perplexity to put an AI driven search engine directly in Snapchat, ended amicably this year, making Snapchat’s search strategy is still a work in progress.
Final Thought
Search advertising has been around for 30 years, and is not going away any time soon. However, it is evolving. It’s no longer just about traditional search engines, especially when targeting younger cohorts. Marketers also need to reach out on social media platforms, when trying to reach consumers during the consideration phase.