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Three weeks ago, I threw a tiny tantrum in this space about Google Search, airing my frustrations about its evolution into an overcrowded, SEO-driven vestige of its former self.
Turns out, maybe I’m just too much of an old fogey to appreciate its progression.
It’s a theory I had to contemplate Wednesday after listening to comments made by Prabhakar Raghavan, a Google senior vice president, during Fortune’s Brainstorm Tech conference.
Raghavan, whose numerous responsibilities include oversight of Google Search, touched on an interesting topic that might go unnoticed to longtime users of the ubiquitous tool: how young people interact with search engines.
For those of a certain age, we’ve become accustomed to a certain rhythm to Google Search. Often, that involves entering a term or phrase, then scrolling through text to find a pertinent link.
But that’s not how the kids these days have been brought up on the internet, Raghavan said. They’re far more attuned to pictures and videos, and don’t arrive with “preset expectations” for what the World Wide Web should look like.
To prove his point, Raghavan cited a fascinating piece of internal research.
“Something like almost 40% of young people, when they’re looking for a place for lunch, they don’t go to Google Maps or Search,” Raghavan said. “They go to TikTok or Instagram. The journey begins in...
Read Full Story: https://fortune.com/2022/07/13/google-tiktok-instagram-search-engine-brainstorm-tech/
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