MINNEAPOLIS — For more than a decade, saying you're going to "Google something" has been synonymous with simply doing an internet search. But now, you might need to add another, unlikely "search engine" to the list: TikTok.
While there's no public data just yet, in July at a FORTUNE tech conference in Colorado, Google senior vice president Prabhakar Raghavan referenced the company's internal research showing TikTok is rising as a contender in search query options.
"[In] studies, 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," Raghavan said. "The [search] journey begins in different forms than before." Those statistics were later confirmed by a company spokesperson to TechCrunch.
The notion of TikTok's search use among youth was also recently explored in the New York Times, as well as other outlets.
Students at the University of Minnesota say that while they still certainly use Google, they turn to TikTok for a number of things people wouldn't have even considered five or so years ago.
Yahya Madar, a 21-year-old majoring in psychology and running on the track team at the U, said he explores new recipes.
"I've been starting to cook a lot, honestly because of TikTok," Madar said.
He also uses it for career help.
"I was applying for this job, and I didn't think my resume was professional enough, so I just searched "resume templates" and there [were] hundreds of videos."
Maddie Robinson, a 19-year-old majoring in psychology, said she uses the app to shop for what's trending.
"A lot of influencers have Amazon storefronts where you can just click a button and see what people are wearing, so that part's really easy," Robinson said.
Ryan Tran, 20-year-old a medical lab science major, says he likes to produce music on the side. TikTok is where he goes to get better at it.
"I watch people make music on their own programs and I learn from them," he said.
Still, when it comes to searching an area for the best restaurant?
"Google is more convenient," Tran said. "All the search stuff will come out, and it will give you a description, as opposed to a video."
The students all agree on one thing: it's good to have options.
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