Stealthily TikTok has integrated gli snippet Wikipedia in its search results, revolutionizing the way users access information. There popular social media platformknown primarily for its short-form videos, is now expanding its horizons by serving as sort of search engineto satisfy a new need of young generation hungry for information. The partnership between TikTok and Wikipedia marks a shift in how users interact with the app and represents a challenges the dominance of traditional search engines come Google.
Using TikTok as a search engine
TikTok users, especially younger ones, have begun to rely on the platform for much more than just entertainment. They are increasingly using it as a search engine for discover a wide range of information, from local restaurants to the latest news. This change in user behavior it didn’t go unnoticed by TikTokpushing tointroducing snippets and Wikipedia links in selected search results.
These snippets give users quick access to information about people, places and events, enriching their in-app experience. Notably, this integration isn’t just limited to popular figures, but extends to a variety of topics, as evidenced by Wikipedia links appearing in searches for “The New York Times,” “Taylor Swift,” and “Thanksgiving.”
Collaboration with Wikipedia without notice
While TikTok users may have come across these Wikipedia snippets in their search results, the company has not formally announced This collaboration, nor has it received much media attention until recently. The desire to keep a low profile is in line with the TikTok’s strategy of quietly rolling out new featuresallowing users to discover them organically.
Zachary Kizerspokesperson for TikTok, confirmed the partnership with Wikipedia, underlining that the functionality It has been active for a few months already. Wikipedia snippets appear as users scroll through in-app search results, nested among relevant videos. Clicking on these snippets takes users seamlessly to Wikipedia, while links at the bottom of the snippet make it easy to navigate within the free encyclopedia’s articles.
However, it is worth noting that these Wikipedia entries they are not displayed consistently for all search queries. The criteria for choosing which search terms get Wikipedia links remains unclear, and Kizer hasn’t commented on the matter either. For example, and The Verge has found this, although there is a snippet for “New York” and “Los Angeles”, it is absent for “Chicago”.
TikTok challenges the search giants
TikTok’s integration of Wikipedia snippets is just one aspect of continuous evolution of research of the app. In recent times, it has introduced several features to improve this functionality. One of these moves involves the monetization of search results interspersing sponsored content between organic videos. Also, one Collaboration with IMDb allows creators to insert IMDb links to movies and TV shows within their videos, as well as appearing in specific search results.
Although, at least for now, there is a lot of research on TikTok less robust than a traditional one on Google, this move certainly did not go unnoticed by the industry giant. Last year Prabhakar Raghavan, senior vice president in charge of search at Google, pointed out that nearly 40% of young people turn to platforms like TikTok and Instagram, instead of Google Maps and Search, when looking for information, such as choosing a place to have lunch. A trend that testifies to the growing influence of social media platforms in shaping user preferences and behaviors.
to know more: What TikTok is and how it works: from profile to content production
