Gen Z is increasingly using social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram for searching, favoring these platforms over traditional search engines.

Recent studies show that 45% of Gen Z now prefer social media for finding information, surpassing usage rates among older generations like millennials and Gen X. This shift reflects a preference for visually driven, real-time content and peer recommendations over formal, algorithm-based results.

This behavior extends beyond social media, with Gen Z also using Amazon for retail searches and ChatGPT for academic assistance. By 2023, more than half of Gen Z were using social media as their primary tool for discovering brands and products, up from 40% just a few years earlier.

As social media evolves into a critical platform for discovery and e-commerce, brands must adapt. Platforms like TikTok are playing a major role in driving sales, with over half of TikTok Shop users buying from brands they discover on the platform. With Gen Z’s spending power expected to reach trillions, the opportunity for brands to connect with this demographic through social media is immense.

Below, industry experts share their insights on how this trend affects marketing strategies and the opportunities it presents for brands to connect with this influential demographic.

Gabrielle Schaefer, VP of Client Services, Fohr

Gen Z is our future consumer to recruit and retain. We know they spend most of their time on social media, communicate through the platforms, and trust it more than other outlets, and naturally that’s where they go to get information.

That means brands need to go full-funnel in their social and influencer content approach and include all aspects – awareness, consideration, and conversion – in their strategy. Brands also need content that is searchable in ways that make sense for Gen Z consumers. What are they interested in? What common problems are they looking to solve using social media as a resource? Especially in noisy moments online – holiday for example – being intentional about that is going to pay off.

The bottom line is: The opportunity is simple. Every brand should be increasing their investment in content volume and realize that they no longer control the narrative – influencers and their audiences do. Gen Z is easy to find – social, just social – but hard to please. Focus on your content strategy and make shopping easy, and you’ll be rewarded.

Yash Chavan, Founder and CEO, Saral

This shift presents both a unique opportunity and a challenge for brands. Brands have been used to search behaviors across text-based search engines. With younger generations being more active on video-first social media such as TikTok and Instagram, brands are challenged with having authentic content about their products where their potential customers are looking i.e. on social media, not on search engines. Traditional social proof channels like review sites and blog posts might be less relevant. Making this transition can be hard for brands. But for the ones that see this coming, it can be as simple as starting a product-seeding program and incentivizing creators to talk about your brand.

LaTecia Johnson, Founder & CEO, INGENIUS

The shift of Gen Z turning to social media as their primary search engine opens up a wealth of opportunities for brands to engage with this audience in a more organic and meaningful way. Unlike traditional search, which relies on keywords and algorithms, social media search is driven by real-time trends, personal recommendations, and authentic content. This creates an opportunity for brands to become discoverable through user-generated content, creator-led partnerships, and authentic storytelling.

For brands, it’s no longer just about ranking on Google; it’s about embedding themselves in the fabric of social conversations. By leveraging creators, brands can authentically insert themselves into the daily lives of Gen Z in a way that feels less like advertising and more like community-building. Whether it’s through product recommendations, tutorials, or collaborations, brands that understand how to navigate social media’s nuanced landscape have a unique chance to build trust, increase visibility, and drive purchasing decisions through creators and real-time content.

James Alexander, Co-founder, AsqMe

People want to buy from people they trust. This presents a massive opportunity for brands, if they can authentically harness the parasocial relationships influencers and content creators have with their audiences. It also means that influencers and creators are the new sales force. When buyer trust is high, sales cycles get shorter, buyers buy more, disputes decline, and buyers are more likely to become advocates themselves. And when you combine that with content created by influencers that demonstrates how products are used, buyer satisfaction goes up, returns drop, and customer support costs are contained.

Gen Z regularly uses keywords such as ‘Best,’ ‘Cheap’ and ‘How to’. It’s not surprising that 46% of that population are proactively searching social media with its perceived authenticity over blatantly sponsored content in traditional search engines. Serious influencers and creators aren’t going to risk their credibility (and their businesses) for a payday. Brands which successfully tap into this micro retail channel will have converted influencers into evangelists. That’s no small feat and will serve as a significant competitive advantage for those brands over their rivals.

Abraham Lieberman, CEO, Clicks Talent Agency

The shift of Gen Z towards using platforms like TikTok and Instagram as search engines is set to significantly impact how brands advertise with influencers. It will push brands that have previously avoided native advertising to embrace it, making content appear more natural rather than as obvious ads. For example, restaurants can collaborate with travel influencers to post about their venue, so when people search for ‘top 10 restaurants in X,’ they may see a sponsored video that feels genuine and worth considering. This strategy applies to Amazon products (via ‘Amazon find’ influencers), hotels, airlines, and virtually any brand or product that traditionally advertises on Google. By leveraging influencers on TikTok and Instagram, brands can reach larger audiences more authentically and effectively.

Chris Ryan, Creator Manager, Chris Ryan Marketing

The shift to social media as search engines lets brands meet Gen Z where they’re already looking for info. By creating catchy, authentic content and working with influencers, brands can show up in searches, trends, and conversations.

Patrick Israel, Founder & CEO, Stem Group

Gen Z’s shift to using social media as search engines offers brands the opportunity to meet consumers where content discovery and peer recommendations are happening in real time. Unlike traditional search engines, social platforms provide a more personalized, visually driven search experience shaped by user-generated content.

For brands, this change means rethinking visibility and engagement strategies. Influencers play a pivotal role in this new ‘social search’ era, acting as trusted voices that guide users through trends and topics. By partnering with influencers, brands can organically appear in searches based on hashtags, conversations, and community-driven trends. The authenticity influencers bring, combined with social algorithms, allows brands to target niche audiences in a way that feels more relevant and authentic.

This shift also empowers brands to shape narratives through real-time engagement and respond to trends instantly. By tapping into influencer marketing, brands can create more interactive discovery experiences, validate their product and offer moving beyond traditional ads into cultural conversations.

Maggie Walsh, Head of Strategy, Glow

TikTok’s FYP still feels like a place for real discovery. Unlike other platforms that often lean towards paid content, TikTok is where users find authentic voices and fresh opinions. So, brands, ask yourselves: Are you discoverable? What about your competitors? And is your content genuinely relevant to what people are searching for?

Cameron Ajdari, Founder & Talent Manager, Currents Management

We’ve observed that Gen Z frequently turns to TikTok and other social media platforms as their primary search tools. Videos have become so prevalent in search that Gen Z now prefers to watch a video on TikTok about a subject rather than read an article or browse a website. This trend is excellent news for the influencer marketing industry as a whole.

Influencer marketing is increasingly intertwined with digital marketing. Brands not only tap into an influencer’s audience and the “For You” page but also benefit from enhanced visibility through search and discovery features on social media platforms.

For brands with an educational aspect, such as tech products, collaborating with an influencer who can effectively showcase the product’s features and benefits through video is often the most powerful way to inform their audience and connect with the right customers.

Jonathan Futa, Co-Founder, Group RFZ

While brands should not abandon their existing search advertising, they should look to supplement with influencer campaigns that are targeted towards the type of searches occurring on Instagram and TikTok. Product reviews, restaurant reviews, and travel recommendations are all types of content younger consumers are searching for on social media rather than Google. Partnering with influencers for this type of content will capture the search outside of traditional search engines.

The shift will impact certain industries differently as well. Travel and dining are two of the most prominent examples. Travel influencers, previously limited to blogs, now thrive on TikTok and Instagram and are a frequent source of recommendations outside of search engines. Travel brands or in-person destinations (restaurants, events, and institutions) should heavily invest in these partnerships.