I never know how to interpret statements like this:
> More recently, there’s been a shift to entertainment-based video feeds like TikTok — which is now being used as a primary search engine by a new generation of internet users.
What does it mean to use an entertainment-based video site as a "primary search engine"?
It means that users feel there is enough diversity of relevant content that they will find a result that gives them either the information, or the entertainment, they are seeking.
Some people (probably in particular older people) see the internet as the sum of everything (eg: Reddit + Facebook + TikTok + etc). Other people, I think, have less of a concept of the internet as a mass data collective and see it as more silo'd. And within those silos they feel that certain ones will have results/content that is more inline with their viewpoints, desired results, etc. So the result is we see some of these social media sites like Tiktok becoming very much a micro-internet to these users, and they specifically DON'T want google-style results that reflect the internet at large (and they don't want to use search modifiers to say only search tiktok.com).
In some ways we may be trending back towards the days of AOL/Prodigy/Compuserve/The Well, where you virtually hang out with "your people", and content that doesn't exist within your group basically doesn't exist at all.
> In some ways we may be trending back towards the days of AOL/Prodigy/Compuserve/The Well, where you virtually hang out with "your people", and content that doesn't exist within your group basically doesn't exist at all.
It's something that is more alien the longer ago it was that you got involved with the internet, but I've recently seen this firsthand myself and it works. It's not a general purpose search but if you put in terms related to an upcoming vacation, for example, you will find an endless stream of people's videos of any aspect of it. If your hotel has a suite you're considering, search the name and watch videos to see if it looks worth it, etc. It's basically a way of bypassing highly staged and curated ad photos or videos to see what real people recorded.
It seems more like a side effect of how everyone is trying to become an influencer than a new permanent state of being, but for the time being it can be interesting
People will search on Tiktok for things like "how to get game working on linux" or "how to fix a computer" or whatever. They wont bother with Google and go straight to tiktok.
Reminds me of how often I add "reddit" to the end of Google searches because I know the base results will be useless for a whole range of topics without it. This is doubly true for any even slightly risque or illegal topics.
Right, a sort of generational divide. Old people (like me) looking for how-to information go to youtube; young(er) people go to tiktok. Tiktok is 100% blocked from my system but from what i've seen leak into twitter, it's hard for me (an old person) to imagine how it could compete with youtube for how-to. But then maybe that's just growing old.
I have found youtube videos that are simply superb for tasks as diverse as:
* replacing the steering rods on my Sprinter van
* restoring factory state on an ancient Garmin watch
* mixing adobe plaster
* tying a prince of wales knot in a necktie
Different people are different, of course. Video doesn't work well for me if I'm trying to learn something new. I was only pushing back on the notion that there's an age connection to this.
> Videos are too light on solid information and are too hard to use as references.
Depends on the video.
I rarely use videos for how-to though. The written word is more convenient as it allows me to skim it and it’s easier to skip ahead. Video is good for demonstrating things where motion information is useful though.
Probably means people use it for “how do i X”, “Y review” and other types of queries more which certainly rings true just bc of how google results for these are usually about 100% spam
I suppose that makes sense. Video is low-density and hard to search compared to text, so it never occurs to me to seek out video as a first option, but given the amount of SEO spam I can see how someone would come to the opposite conclusion.
I kind of get it. It's very much "I need to make a word limit" jargon, but they are basically talking about how social media has become a primary news source for many of the youth. This generation doesn't read Reuters/AP or watch any mainstream news network, they get updates from their facebook wall or they see the news on Reddit. If they are curious about some news piece they will search within the website about posts made, not a general google taking you to professional media.
I didn't know Tiktok could do this, but I guess life finds a way.
> More recently, there’s been a shift to entertainment-based video feeds like TikTok — which is now being used as a primary search engine by a new generation of internet users.
What does it mean to use an entertainment-based video site as a "primary search engine"?