Instagram, TikTok eating into Google's core services, suggests top executive

The TikTok threat to Google's business is not just limited to YouTube, but core Google services, including Search and Maps, are also being impacted by a growing preference for social media and videos, says a Google executive.

Senior Vice President Prabhakar Raghavan, who runs Google's Knowledge and Information organisation, referenced the popular social apps in a broader conversation at Fortune's Brainstorm Tech conference about the future of Google's products and its use of artificial intelligence (AI), reports TechCrunch.

In a discussion about the evolution of search, he somewhat offhandedly noted that younger users were now often turning to apps like Instagram and TikTok instead of Google Search or Maps for discovery purposes.

"We keep learning, over and over again, that new Internet users do not have the expectations and the mindset that we have become accustomed to," Raghavan was quoted as saying. He also added that "the queries they ask are completely different".

As per the report, these users do not tend to type in keywords but rather look to discover content in new, more immersive ways, he said.

"In our studies, something like almost 40 per cent of young people, when they are looking for a place for lunch, they do not go to Google Maps or Search," he said.

"They go to TikTok or Instagram," he added.

The tech giant has confirmed to the tech website that Raghavan's comments were based on internal research that involved a survey of US users, ages 18 to 24.