TikTok Considering Delivering Google Search Results to Users

 

TikTok Considering Delivering Google Search Results to Users

TikTok is currently in the process of testing a new feature that incorporates Google Search into its in-app search results. This experimental feature, initially identified by app researcher Radu Oncescu, appears as a small box situated halfway down TikTok's search page. Users are prompted to explore the same search terms on Google.

TechCrunch has reached out to both TikTok and Google for additional information regarding this feature. It's important to note that this feature isn't yet available to all users, including in our own tests. A TikTok spokesperson confirmed to Business Insider that the integration of Google Search is among the third-party features currently being tested in select markets.

Recently, The Verge reported that TikTok is also in the midst of experimenting with directly incorporating Wikipedia entries into its search results. This expansion into various areas indicates TikTok's ambition to evolve into a comprehensive platform catering to a wide range of online activities, not just a platform for viral dance trends.

Although the Google Search integration is currently in a testing phase, it raises several intriguing points. Firstly, it's noteworthy because a Google executive overseeing the company's Knowledge & Information division observed a shift in behavior among young users. Instead of resorting to Google, they are increasingly turning to TikTok and Instagram for online searches.

Google's Senior Vice President, Prabhakar Raghavan, pointed out this trend, stating, "We keep learning, over and over again, that new internet users don't have the expectations and the mindset that we have become accustomed to." He noted that almost 40% of young people, according to their studies, now use platforms like TikTok and Instagram for everyday searches, such as finding a restaurant.

While the accuracy of these statistics cannot be independently verified, this shift in user behavior represents a significant departure from traditional online search patterns. Social media platforms already consume a significant portion of users' online time, and it's conceivable that young users may increasingly rely on TikTok for their search needs, further reducing the need to leave the platform.

It's worth highlighting that Raghavan's observation also aligns with Google's legal stance in ongoing antitrust trials. Google is currently facing legal scrutiny from the Justice Department, with the focus on its search business and allegations of anticompetitive behavior. This shift in user behavior suggests that there is indeed healthy competition in the online search space, which is central to Google's legal argument.