Is the phrase ‘just Google it’ dead? How TikTok, Pinterest and AI are challenging Google’s crown

For two decades, “just Google it” was the default answer to almost everything.

Stuck on homework? Google. Need a recipe? Google. Worried your weird rash might be deadly? Google — then panic.

But for Gen Z, that once-automatic reflex has started to shift. It’s not that they’ve abandoned Google altogether; it’s just no longer the first port of call.

Why wade through a swamp of SEO-stuffed blog posts and ads when TikTok, Instagram, Pinterest, and now AI can serve up instant, human answers that feel more authentic?

TikTok as a search engine

If Google is the dusty, information-filled library, TikTok is the friend who whispers the actual answers during class.

Type “best mascara” into Google and you’ll get an endless scroll of affiliate marketing articles.

Type it into TikTok and you’ll see clumpy lashes, smudge tests, and someone crying in real time because the waterproof formula really works.

According to Dr Lauren Rosewarne, media scholar at the University of Melbourne, part of the appeal lies in how younger audiences consume information in shorter bursts.

“Factors include lower attention spans along with young people being disproportionately drawn to content that seems innovative, novel, entertaining and personality driven.”

“Gen Z trusts influencers and content creators... as recommendations feel like advice from friends rather than robotic algorithm responses,” said Maria Padisetti, CEO and co-founder of Digital Armour.

She added that, “for a generation raised on YouTube tutorials and Instagram stories, content consumption is driven by visuals rather than lengthy articles.”

News and AI

Layer AI into the mix, and the cultural shift looks permanent.

Why Google “how to write a breakup text” when ChatGPT can draft three versions in seconds?

AI feels faster, more direct, and more personal than Google’s endless blue links.

But while AI tools can feel more efficient, they’re unreliable.

Unlike news organisations, which verify information through sources and editorial oversight, generative models can produce answers that sound confident but aren’t correct.

As Dr Rosewarne puts it, “Follow the money. Ask yourself who is profiting from how and where you search for information.”

It’s a reminder that algorithmic answers, whether from AI or social feeds, are rarely neutral, and credibility still depends on human judgment.

Instagram for the aesthetic stamp

Instagram has become the mood board of choice for everything from brunch spots to Bali itineraries.

Why read a 2000-word Google review when you can scroll a geotag and instantly see how the avocado toast looks under natural light?

Dr Rosewarne says this shift is as much cultural as it is technological.

“Young people are often more media literate and able to discern opinion from fact than some adults, given that they’ve been navigating this space for the entirety of their lives,” she said.

Pinterest for the planners

Google might tell you “how to pack for Europe,” but Pinterest will hand you a perfectly colour-coded capsule wardrobe guide complete with outfit grids.

It’s a search style that feels more personal — less mechanical, more human.

“Instead of thinking of one ‘large or monolithic’ search engine, we may need to accept that audiences both young and old will use AI + search engines based on the use cases,” Ms Padisetti said.

“It’s no longer one-size-fits-all, search now fits into two categories: ‘I know what exists, take me there,’ which is Google’s strength, and ‘I don’t know what I need yet, help me explore,’ which is TikTok or AI’s strength.”

X for the live updates

If TikTok is the after-dinner recap, X is the live broadcast.

From celebrity scandals to natural disasters, X has become a space where eyewitness videos and first reactions surface instantly, often shaping how stories unfold in real time.

It’s the same platform that once let Donald Trump set the global news cycle with a single tweet.

“We’ve certainly seen a discernible rise in conservative and misogynist thinking among young men, a trend that can be linked to certain social-media figures (think Andrew Tate, etc.) whose appeal is notably gendered,” Dr Rosewarne said.

But Google insists it’s not being replaced — it’s evolving.

“People are searching more than ever. AI is driving the most significant upgrade of the Google Search experience ever,” a Google Australia spokesperson told The Nightly.

“With AI Overviews and more recently AI Mode, people are able to ask questions they could never ask before, including questions that are often longer and more complex.”

According to Google, “people are increasingly seeking out and clicking on sites with forums, videos, podcasts, and posts where they can hear authentic voices and first-hand perspectives.”

In other words, Google believes it’s adapting to the very behaviour Gen Z is being credited with inventing.

Ms Padisetti agrees the company’s relevance isn’t in question — just its monopoly.

“Google’s model is not outdated… they are fighting AI with AI,” she said, pointing to the rollout of Gemini 2.0 and AI Overviews.

Still, she warns of a deeper tension at the heart of this evolution, “Better AI answers = happier users = more searches. But: better AI answers = fewer clicks = less advertiser value = reduced publisher incentive to create quality content.”

It’s a paradox Google will have to solve if it wants to keep the ecosystem it built alive.

And, as Dr Lauren Rosewarne reminds us, “young people are often more media literate … than some adults.”

The message is clear: Gen Z isn’t killing Google — they’re reshaping what it means to search.