Will Social Media Replace Search Engines For Product Discovery?

Surveys in recent years have shown that social media has replaced search engines as the go-to place for product discovery among younger consumers, leading to speculation about how soon it will lead product search for all generations.

Sprout Social’s Q2 2025 Pulse Survey of more than 2,200 social users across the U.S., UK, and Australia — taken in April and early May — found 41% of Gen Zers turn to social platforms first when looking for information, ahead of traditional search engines (32%), chat-based AI tools (11%), and friends/family (9%). In addition, 37% of consumers across age groups prefer to go to social first when searching for product reviews and recommendations, while 35% prefer to use it first to find local restaurants and activities.

Across all respondents, 76% indicated content on social (e.g., ads, influencer posts, brand content) has influenced a purchase in the past six months, with this number rising to 90% among zoomers and 84% among millennials.

Sprout Social believes younger generations are choosing social as their first stop for search not only because they increasingly trust the information, but for the “meaningful, positive experiences,” including being able to engage with others and curate their feeds to reflect their interests and values.

“Largely driven by Gen Z, social is becoming the new search engine,” said Scott Morris, CMO of Sprout Social. “For marketers, this means making social the front-line channel for building awareness, managing perception, engaging with customers, and receiving feedback.”

Younger Americans Prefer Social Media Search for Product Discovery

A survey of Gen Z from eMarketer taken in October 2023 found that the primary reason the younger demographic likes to search on social media is because it helps them get the information they want quickly, cited by 60.1%; followed by results are relevant (36.7%), visual (26.5%), and because it’s fun (21.4%).

Alfie Trodd, senior account executive at TSA, which is part of the creative agency Five by Five, believes the shift to social for discovery is being driven by the appeal of video content over text and images, the popularity of influencers, and the negatives of paid ads that often accompany traditional search engines.

“Ultimately, what social media search offers brands is a chance to be discovered organically, rather than actively searched-for,” he told LBBonline.com. “That’s because another long-term trend we’re seeing on socials is that people are far more likely to consume content via their For-You page rather than their ‘following’ feed.”

GWI still finds search engines and TV ads rank as the top ways consumers overall discover brands, followed closely by social media and word-of-mouth recommendations.

However, the research firm likewise finds social to be Gen Z and Gen Alpha’s first choice for brand discovery, credited to the popularity of platforms such as TikTok, Instagram and Pinterest, and their ability to inspire.

Georgie Walsh, content marketing manager at GWI, said in a blog entry related to social’s impact on product discovery, “It’s not just about ads in the feed. Today’s users want content that feels relevant, timely, and useful — something that speaks to what they care about in the moment. For brands, that means showing up with more than a sales pitch. It’s about creating content that informs, entertains, and fits naturally into the scroll.”