"I've literally Googles that on TikTok before" : A qualitative study of the link between interface design and young adults increased usage of social media as search engines over traditional search engines

Sammanfattning

This study aims to explore the link between user interface design and the increased usage of social media as a search engine over traditional search engines by young adults. We conducted semi-structured interviews and user testing with 9 participants who have previously used both TikTok and Google for searching. The results showed a link between design attributes, user interaction patterns, and the evolving demands of information retrieval. We conducted a thematic analysis which created seven different themes which provided us with an overview of how participants' opinions related to different theories. Key themes included TikTok being used instead of Google for casual browsing and visual content, and Google being preferred for goal-oriented searches due to its efficiency. Participants liked TikTok's simplicity in interface design, and Google for its practical design and functions. Additionally, users perceived TikTok as more genuine and authentic for casual topics, while Google was seen as reliable for factual information. Users often combined the strengths of both platforms for a full search experience. The findings of this study could provide insights into optimizing digital experiences and information seeking for this demographic. We suggest broadening the sample group and exploring the impact of content, including sponsored content, on user search behavior across different social media platforms in future research.