New Research from Sprout Social Finds Social Media is the Top Place Gen Z Turns to for Search, Surpassing Traditional Search Engines

Core Insights - Gen Z is increasingly turning to social media as their primary source for information, surpassing traditional search engines, with 41% preferring social platforms first [2][3] - The shift towards social media is significantly impacting consumer behavior, with 76% of users indicating that social content influenced their purchases in the last six months, rising to 90% among Gen Z [2][5] - Social media is perceived positively by users, with 60% reporting a net-positive impact on mental health, and 47% stating it has improved their financial decision-making [6] Consumer Behavior Trends - 37% of consumers across all age groups prefer social media for product reviews and recommendations, while 35% use it to find local restaurants and activities [2] - The top content categories consumers seek on social media include cooking inspiration (50%), TV/movie recommendations (43%), and music discovery (36%) [6] - 51% of global users plan to spend more time on community-based platforms like Reddit, with this figure rising to 63% for Gen Z and Millennials [6] Marketing Implications - The findings suggest that marketers should prioritize social media as a key channel for brand awareness and customer engagement, as it is now the primary avenue for product discovery [3] - The survey indicates that younger generations are using social media more intentionally, curating their feeds to align with their interests and values, which presents opportunities for targeted marketing strategies [3][5] - The rise of creator-driven platforms like Substack and Patreon is being led by Gen Z (52%) and Millennials (53%), indicating a shift towards personalized content consumption [6]