For Gen Z, TikTok is more than entertainment. It's a search engine.

Carter is a brand strategist from Los Angeles. I'll go to TikTok for fashion, food, or culture because I know the user base of the app provides that content, whereas on Twitter I'll look for the news. Carter isn't the only one who is using social media to find things to do and places to go instead of using traditional discovery tools.

Almost 40% of young people don't go to Google Maps when they're looking for a place to eat, according to a senior vice president in charge of search. He's talking about a survey of young people in the U.S.

The statistics don't surprise me as a person in that age group. I have learned to personalize my experience on the internet. I know where to go when I'm looking for something specific, but sometimes it's not my best friend when I search for it on the internet. I spoke with 30 of my peers about their online search habits because I was curious how other people within the age range searched.

According to a UK survey, TikTok is the fastest growing source of news for young adults. TikTok isn't only being used as a news source, it's also being used as an entertainment source.

A law school student searches for recipe ideas on TikTok. Teresa in Southern California is looking for instructional how-to videos that are short and more to the point than what she would typically find on the internet.

The Collections feature was launched by TikTok in February of this year. TikTok users can organize their videos into collections. The feature was implemented in the year 2019. It's easier for users to return to ideas and recommendations with the Collections feature.

The Pinterest-esque collection feature on TikTokkers allows users to organize their favorited videos. Credit: Screenshot: TikTok

I will search for 'thrifting in Paris' or'restaurants in Lisbon' and save the things that look good to a folder. There is a recipe folder in my possession. The folder feature is something Cash is a big fan of.

People are looking for suggestions on TikTok They rely on their individual algorithms to give them specific recommendations. If you want to try something, you can save it to a folder and then come back to your favorites.

Three things came up in almost every conversation I had with my peers about what people use social media for.

People don't like the way the recipe is prioritized by the search engines. There is a joke on the internet that if you want to read a recipe you have to go through the entire life story of the author. A TikTok has to quickly grab your attention, so recipe videos on the platform put the focus on the food, not the creator.

One of the most popular food creators on TikTok, Emily Mariko, doesn't talk to her millions of followers in her videos, instead she lets the food speak for itself. She shows how easy it is to make video recipes without anyone telling you how to do them. It's a big draw for the young woman. She said that she mostly uses TikTok andInstagram to look up recipes. It can be a specific search like "banana bread" or a general search like "dinner ideas". It's much easier to find a recipe on the internet than it is to read an article.

Emily Mariko's tiding plating allows the food to speak for itself. Credit: TikTok / emilymariko

Credit: TikTok / emilymariko

TikTok is being used by a student from Boston. I don't like how recipes are done on the internet. She said that you have to scroll through a lot to get to the recipes. She found the workouts on the app easy to try at home. I would like to do the workouts on TikTok.

You can see what a restaurant looks like with a TikTok. It makes it possible for a better vibe. If someone made a TikTok on it, chances are it's something you'll enjoy and the information is current. It's difficult to know what's current on the search engine. I've found restaurants through the internet, only to discover that they're no longer open.

A 23 year-old woman who has spent the past year traveling in South America and Europe relies on social media for travel recommendations. There's no centralized fount to crowd source info, and it's not designed for phones, so it's hard to read. It's more difficult to tell credibility from an article than from a video.

If you are looking for travel inspiration or a place to grab a slice of pizza, you may find it on TikTok.