Social and video are the new search engines for Gen Z

New Delhi: More people are now turning to social and video platforms instead of traditional search engines to discover information online, especially among younger users. 

This shift is explored in ‘The search before the search: How social and video have changed the way we seek, find and buy’, a new report by WARC in partnership with TikTok. Based on surveys, experiments, and interviews, the report shows that people’s search habits are changing and spreading across different platforms.

The research shows that nearly half of Gen Z consumers now search more frequently on social and video platforms than they did three years ago. In contrast, only 19% said they had increased their use of AI-based search tools during the same period. 

The research points to a growing preference for community-driven discovery across platforms such as TikTok, particularly in lifestyle, fashion, and beauty categories. 

The platform’s popularity among Gen Z is notable, with 86% of respondents in that cohort saying they search on TikTok weekly, a figure nearly equal to those using traditional search engines (90%), and ahead of online marketplaces (75%) and AI platforms (60%). 

Additionally, 38% of TikTok searchers begin on traditional search platforms before switching to TikTok, while 34% do the reverse.

To help marketers adapt, the report introduces a strategic approach referred to as the MAP framework, Mix, Align, and Prime, to better integrate social and video search into broader media planning. The report notes that social and video platforms play a full-funnel role in marketing, influencing discovery, consideration, and eventual purchase. 

It suggests that brands rethink how they align intent across different types of content, ensure search isn’t siloed from other media efforts, and use discovery features to reach audiences before biases are formed.

Search advertising currently accounts for 22% of global media budgets, with WARC forecasting spend to reach $248.6 billion in 2025, rising to $265.5 billion in 2026. However, a growing share of this activity is taking place outside traditional engines. 

Among weekly US internet searchers, 72% search at least once daily. Activity on social and video platforms now outpaces AI-enabled platforms, with 30% of users searching more frequently on the former compared to 14% on the latter.

Alexis Wolf, Head of Advisory, Americas, WARC, said: “Search is no longer a destination for finding an answer. It’s a doorway that starts a digital journey. From text to image to video to AI, the tools are evolving, and with them, audiences have increasingly dynamic expectations of what search can do. By rethinking what search is, we unlock new ways of connecting with consumers, earlier, deeper, and more meaningfully.”

The study also notes that the concept of search has shifted from simple information retrieval to discovery and exploration. Over one-third (35%) of TikTok users are inspired to search based on content they view on the platform.

Gen Z and Millennials are more likely to value platforms that offer in-app discovery of products, services, and ideas, and are increasingly influenced by creators and peer recommendations. Meanwhile, Gen X and Baby Boomers continue to prioritise speed, accuracy, and verified information in their search experiences.

Sissi Xu, Product Lead, Search & Discovery, TikTok, commented: “Today, people search for more than answers. They search for perspectives. This research tells us that people drift from inspiration to research to purchase, whilst gathering perspectives along the way. 

Users scan a chorus of creators, friends, experts, and brands before deciding what resonates. Meet them there. Design for curiosity. Share something worth finding. Treat every search as a chance to connect. Look beyond views and give people a point of view.”

Trust also appears to be influenced by who delivers the message. According to the study, users are 1.2 times more likely to believe a claim when it comes from a creator rather than directly from a brand. Relatable and peer-like creators tend to hold more credibility in influencing search decisions.

Richard Shotton, behavioural scientist and author, said, “We often assume that search behavior is driven by logic. But behavioral science tells a more interesting (and frankly, more realistic) story.

Behavioral science helps us understand this reality. It doesn’t just explain what people do, it reveals why they do it. And in a world obsessed with what’s changing, it gives us an unfair advantage: insight into what isn’t.”