Today's Teenagers No Longer "Google": This Is How They Get Information on the Internet

Modern language evolves as quickly as technology, and dictionaries often struggle to keep up.

Teenagers today are using the verb "google" less often when referring to searching for information online. Instead, according to analysts, members of Generation Z — young people born between 1997 and 2012 — are more likely to simply say "search." This trend is even more pronounced among Generation Alpha, the youngest generation, born after 2012.

Internet analysts who conducted this study believe the decline in the use of the word "google" among young people indicates that they are using newer sources like TikTok for information. Unlike their predecessors, members of Generation Z, and especially Generation Alpha, have been born and raised surrounded by modern technology.

"I think the verb has been removed now because technology and user behavior have moved on," Mark Shmulik, an analyst at Bernstein Research and one of the study's authors, told Business Insider in an interview.

Additionally, modern teenagers increasingly search for information on social media, particularly TikTok. For example, the popular meme "OK, Boomer" originated from a TikTok video where a young woman listens to an older man speak, then writes "OK, boomer" on a piece of paper. Boomers are people born between 1945 and 1961, during the post-war baby boom. While these people are now at least 60 years old, younger generations have begun using the term "boomer" to refer to anyone over 30 with conservative views.

Social media platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube, where content is visually engaging and often created by their peers, seems more relatable to them. These platforms offer a more interactive and personalized way to discover new information, from learning a new skill to staying updated on current events. This shift demonstrates how younger generations are not only consuming content differently but also redefining how information is found and shared in the digital age.

Nevertheless, the verb "google," meaning to search for something on the Internet, has been officially added to the Oxford English Dictionary and Merriam-Webster's American Dictionary.