This week’s prompt got me thinking about using other platforms and apps to find information. Reflecting on my own use of digital media as a search engine, I can say Google is not the only one I use. Let’s look at the platforms of today’s generation.
TikTok is an app used for entertainment and creating short-term content. This app is used to scroll away your time looking at short videos. But how does it work as a search tool? TikTok is a great tool for looking up trends and references compared to other social media apps, as the search mechanics just work better. All you have to do is type the name of the song used in the trend or a catch phrase, and multiple videos pop up, satisfying your needs. Other than that, TikTok is also used to find recommendations from other people.
Instagram works the same way TikTok does. From my experience, Instagram’s search engine does not work as well as TikTok for looking up funny videos or trends. Instagram works better as a source of information from the people you follow or the videos the algorithm provides.
But why do people turn to these two apps for recipes, food spots, and sightseeing? An article for the New York Times called: For Gen Z, TikTok Is the New Search Engine argues that recommendations from TikTok feel more personal and less biased. I agree with this statement. A recommendation for a movie provided by a person my age and a person that I follow feels way deeper and individualized than an article that Google provides that was summarized by AI. Google gives you a list of recommendations that you don’t know where they came from, who wrote them, or how old they are. It does not have the same feeling as a video on TikTok.
This sort of thinking is also dangerous, as people may use these apps as a source of news. Important news should be looked up on trusted profiles and trusted articles. On TikTok or Instagram, people can remake videos and rewrite the event to fit their opinion. You consume this piece of information as the truth and are misguided. It is important to check and validate the news you are receiving, as you don’t want to be given wrong information.
Saying all of this, Google also has information that does not have to be trusted. The key to receiving correct information is to always double, triple check the facts given. Always check multiple trusted websites and read all the provided information. Some pages may use misleading titles to get more attention. It is important to look up the whole context of the situation, as things can be easily taken out of context.
In conclusion, the internet is a scary place that has too much information for both misleading you and setting the record straight about a given topic. It is crucial to stay critical, discuss the information with other people, and keep using your brain.
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