WASHINGTON — Younger users aren't taking to Google as much as they once did, according to a Google executive.
During Fortune's Brainstorm Tech 2022 conference Tuesday, Google Senior Vice President Prabhakar Raghavan mentioned how the company is trying to reshape the search experience for new and younger users.
"In our studies, something like almost 40% of young people when they're looking for a place for lunch, they don't go to google maps or search, they go to TikTok or Instagram," said Raghavan.
He theorized that this is because young people are drawn to "visually rich forms." The senior vice president explained how Google is implementing augmented reality to help users with map experiences.
“We keep learning, over and over again, that new internet users don’t have the expectations and the mindset that we have become accustomed to,” Raghavan said, adding, “the queries they ask are completely different.”
Google later confirmed to TechCrunch that the Raghavan's comments were based on company research involving a survey of U.S. users between the ages of 18 to 24. In a statement to Business Insider, Google said "we face robust competition from an array of sources, including general and specialized search engines, as well as dedicated apps."
During the conference, Raghavan also revealed how Google is planning to use 3-D maps of cities with several points of interest that show real-time data on crowds.
"So that if its Hyde Park in London for instance, you can get a good preview of it, get a good sense of what it's like, is it crowded etcetera before you even get there," he said.
Raghavan also mentioned how the company is planning to enhance the experience for users by allowing for voice and images to be a part of their search.