TikTok is used for a whole lot more than just cringing at videos of dads and husbands who have been convinced it’s a good idea to showcase their inability to dance. 

Gen Z uses TikTok and Instagram as their primary means of searching online.  A report in TechCrunch said that according to Google’s internal data, the percentage of Gen Z that does this is 40%. 

Tik Tok has exploded in popularity in the past few years, and they forced Instagram to come up with a similar feature on their platform called Reels.  Snapchat had to pivot too because of TikTok’s success, and they have something nearly identical called Spotlight. 

A Google exec admits TikTok has changed the way young people do online searches, and Google is being forced for the first time in its existence to play catchup. 

Here’s what Prabhakar Raghavan told Fortune regarding what their internal fact-finding has turned up. 

“Something like almost 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.”

Business Insider had this quote from one of their contacts at Google. 

“We face robust competition from an array of sources, including general and specialized search engines, as well as dedicated apps.”

Here’s the number that has to have Alphabet execs freaking out; reports indicate that TikTok will pass YouTube in advertising revenue by 2024.

In 2021, Google’s ad revenue was north of $200 billion. 

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