Why TikTok Is Winning the Next Generation of Search

In recent years, we’ve seen a change in how people discover information online. Users are turning away from traditional search engines and embracing platforms like TikTok for discovery, recommendations, and answers. This shift comes just as Google is doubling down on AI-generated overviews, fundamentally changing how information is presented.

To understand what this means for search & discovery, we spoke with JR Rogers, our Senior Account Director:

“I’d say the biggest concern for consumers is a lack of transparency. AI Overviews are generated by complex AI language models trained on huge datasets, but the “how” and “why” behind results given in the overview provided isn’t visible to the end user. When you receive a generated summary, you’re trusting a ‘black box’ or algorithm to decide which information is relevant, accurate, or useful. In doing so, consumers essentially give up agency over their own information gathering process.

AI Overviews flatten complex topics into digestible blurbs that ultimately strip away critical nuance. Imagine searching for health advice or financial guidance and receiving a paragraph that omits contradictory views, source quality, or ever evolving expert consensus.

For Google users, this risks misinformation by omission. Where traditional search gave you a mix of links; including expert led, peer reviewed or niche content, AI Overviews work to resolve ambiguity for you, even when ambiguity is exactly what a topic requires.

I believe that there’s something truly valuable about the journey through the internet’s diverse and varied perspectives: falling down a Reddit rabbit hole, reading a longform blog post, discovering a forum that challenges your viewpoint. AI Overviews shortcut that experience by serving you a pre-digested summary. In relying only on these snippets of information, we risk reducing exposure to independent thinkers and diverse voices, not to mention only being served biased information that these language models are based on.  

So how is this shaping online discovery?

“This trend mirrors what we’ve seen on platforms like TikTok where peer led content thrives not because of a single voice deciding what you see, but because of messy, human, unpredictable storytelling. Users feel a sense of discovery, dialogue, and plurality. Google’s AI, by contrast, serves you a curated endpoint rather than an entry point. We’ve seen a huge shift as consumers are turning to platforms like TikTok for their search queries (74% of Gen Z use TikTok for search, 51% prefer it to Google) which is one of the first times in decades that Google has had competition in the search space. Consumers value real human recommendations and information rather than content served by brands with an agenda (traffic/sales) or an AI model that doesn’t understand lived experience.”

Want to learn more? Get in touch.

‍