A recent NY Times article points out that TikTok is being used more and more even as a search engine. The first reaction for this generation that grew up with TikTok is not to open Google when looking for a restaurant or entertainment offer, but TikTok. 

Several reasons are given for this. On the one hand, it is important for young people to see a person they trust and who appears authentic. These creators seem more tangible than faceless websites and therefore more trust is placed in them. On the other hand, Gen-Z is also so accustomed to consuming short videos that they are happy to be informed about any question or topic by means of this content form.

What does this mean for companies and the media?

In concrete terms, it means that anyone who wants to reach young people will no longer be able to get past TikTok. The average usage time will seem to increase steadily and TikTok will do everything to expand their use cases and maybe even challenge Google as a global search engine monopoly. So, as a company or medium, one should immediately think about how they can package their communication in TikTok videos.

Link New York Times