Trend to not use google

[tarheelmjfan]

I get that too. But wouldn’t it make sense to check the library website or app for their hours instead?

It would, but that wouldn't provide the social interaction they may be lacking.

 

[john7994]

And what the answer?

I posted the link to it ... perhaps its paywalled for you ...
The title of the article is

Google it? People now are searching with TikTok or Reddit.
How users discover information on the internet is changing

It cites everything from mistrust to people looking for social interaction to a few different excerpts from the article:

Google users who spoke to The Post compared the company’s search product to the experience of hunting through a bargain bin for a useful item or searching for a needle in a haystack. “Google’s content is very much what Google wants you to find rather than the right search result,” said Ed Zitron, CEO of EZPR, a media relations firm. “Google has categorically failed as a steward of the web, and over the course of about 10 or 15 years, [has] effectively just turned on customers entirely. It’s almost as if you have to trick Google into giving you what you want.”

Others search for content on other platforms. They search Reddit for whatever they’re looking for, or append the word Reddit to the end of their Google search, knowing that a post on one of the platforms’ many forums may have a more useful answer than what Google can dig up on its own.

Sid Raskind, a content creator in Los Angeles, agrees. When he looks for information, he’s much more likely to seek content out on TikTok. “It’s easier and more digestible to watch something happen on TikTok quickly, than to sift through a lot of info and hopefully find the answer,” he said.

Alex Stevens, a middle and high school history teacher in Wisconsin, said that a growing number of his students can barely search something effectively on Google anymore. Instead, they seek out information in video form, often on YouTube or TikTok. “They expect Google to operate like Chat GPT,” he said. “Students don’t differentiate well between other students’ work and trusted sources or useful sources. It’s like the students want a singular answer, they’re not willing to parse through information or engage in synthesis.”

 

[CdnCarrie]

It would, but that wouldn't provide the social interaction they may be lacking.

That’s sad.

I do see how ESL or seniors may find it easier to ask questions in a Facebook group they frequent then navigate an app or website. But young people?

 

[john7994]

That’s sad.

I do see how ESL or seniors may find it easier to ask questions in a Facebook group they frequent then navigate an app or website. But young people?

The excerpts I pasted had a middle/high school example ...

 

[CdnCarrie]

I posted the link to it ... perhaps its paywalled for you ...
The title of the article is

Google it? People now are searching with TikTok or Reddit.
How users discover information on the internet is changing

It cites everything from mistrust to people looking for social interaction to a few different excerpts from the article:

Google users who spoke to The Post compared the company’s search product to the experience of hunting through a bargain bin for a useful item or searching for a needle in a haystack. “Google’s content is very much what Google wants you to find rather than the right search result,” said Ed Zitron, CEO of EZPR, a media relations firm. “Google has categorically failed as a steward of the web, and over the course of about 10 or 15 years, [has] effectively just turned on customers entirely. It’s almost as if you have to trick Google into giving you what you want.”

Others search for content on other platforms. They search Reddit for whatever they’re looking for, or append the word Reddit to the end of their Google search, knowing that a post on one of the platforms’ many forums may have a more useful answer than what Google can dig up on its own.

Sid Raskind, a content creator in Los Angeles, agrees. When he looks for information, he’s much more likely to seek content out on TikTok. “It’s easier and more digestible to watch something happen on TikTok quickly, than to sift through a lot of info and hopefully find the answer,” he said.

Alex Stevens, a middle and high school history teacher in Wisconsin, said that a growing number of his students can barely search something effectively on Google anymore. Instead, they seek out information in video form, often on YouTube or TikTok. “They expect Google to operate like Chat GPT,” he said. “Students don’t differentiate well between other students’ work and trusted sources or useful sources. It’s like the students want a singular answer, they’re not willing to parse through information or engage in synthesis.”

Thank you!
This is very much the type of info that sort of explains what I see happening.
Easier to ask on Reddit what time campus gym is open then to search the college website I guess.

 

[john7994]

Thank you!
Thus us very much type of info that sort of explains it.
Easier to ask on Reddit what time campus gym is open then ti search college website I guess.

I found it interesting those using google actually append reddit to the search string ...

 

[hrhdhd]

If one more person tells me how "tech savvy" young people are, I'll puke. They're savvy in certain ways (I don't do TikTok, but I suppose that's being savvy at something), but not in others. I spend most of the semester teaching them how to double-space a document.

 

[bakerworld]

Google gives search info to advertisers. If you use a VPN or Duck Duck Go searches are private. Not sure if this is what you are referring.

 

[gmi3804]

Do car seats save lives?

 

[CdnCarrie]

Google gives search info to advertisers. If you use a VPN or Duck Duck Go searches are private. Not sure if this is what you are referring.

Did you not read the OP?

I mean asking on Reddit or Facebook what time the library is open until rather than checking the library website.
That sort of thing.

Pretty certain you can go to the library website via any search engine.

 

[TheDailyMoo]

Some people crave social interaction. They may not have an extensive social circle IRL. Searching Google is impersonal. Asking a question on social media leads to conversation & human interaction.

It's mostly this. In case anyone has been living under a rock the last 20 years social media is a major addiction and people will look for any reason to interact on a digital platform in a semi anonymous sort of way. We've really done a number on society!

 

[bakerworld]

Did you not read the OP?

I mean asking on Reddit or Facebook what time the library is open until rather than checking the library website.
That sort of thing.

Pretty certain you can go to the library website via any search engine.

ohhhh, yeah = lazy & nothing else to say/do/post

 

[Magical2017]

T

I get that too. But wouldn’t it make sense to check the library website or app for their hours instead?

I see this in my travel groups. I see questions like, "What beverages can I bring on Royal?" 20 times a week rather than simply using the group's search feature where this has been answered a thousand times, or going to the company's website. In international groups there are all kinds of passport questions that really should be answered by going to the appropriate government site. There are six or seven people telling them different things and only one person is likely correct (the person who links the website they need to visit).

 

[john7994]

what time does the monorail start running?

 

[kymom99]

Do car seats save lives?

My page one on here suddenly got really short.

 

[Magical2017]

what time does the monorail start running?

There are so many. I try to be nice and either scroll or answer politely, but I just did a quick search of some FB groups...

How much does a room cost at Disney World in July? We plan to travel there in two or three years.
What time do the museums in Rome open? (Does not say which museum or which day).
How many carry-ons does Delta allow?
What is the currency in Iceland?
Does my credit card cover trip cancellation (does not say which card they have)?

 

[tarheelmjfan]

That’s sad.

I do see how ESL or seniors may find it easier to ask questions in a Facebook group they frequent then navigate an app or website. But young people?

IMO, it has nothing to do with being tech savvy. Young people aren't exempt from seeking personal interactions from a community they trust. Basically, they're looking for someone to talk to. A Google search doesn't provide that.

 

[nw6675]

To interact with people

Habit

Because they can

Because often Google is wrong - at least on the search engine page listings. Agree 100% of going direct to the source. but, also not my responsibility to notify every entity of mistakes. Get it right or possibly lose my business. The last time I did notify one, they basically said it was a Google issue and they couldn't get it fixed so I don't waste my time. I do report issues on Yelp regarding closures, etc.

Lack of common sense

To generate discussion whether they truly meant to or not. People like us love to respond and feel needed and valued. *Big Hug* (sorry to channel teletubbies (sp?) Oops should have googled how to spell it.

Why ask any questions on social media at all? I bet every one of us responding knew before posting what the other posts were going to say without Googling. Most of the threads on the DIS have obvious answers, but people still enjoy reading them and responding. Even those googlable.

Always remember to respond with the all knowing site:

Let Me Google That For You

 

[NotUrsula]

I run a STEM company library these days, and other than some student interns, the folks I serve all have PhD's; though the bulk of them are under age 30. Surveys I've done tell me that my population thinks that any search that takes more than 3 clicks is too cumbersome.

That's actually a huge part of the issue; the clicks. Social media posts take only one, whereas a website search normally takes at least 2, and probably 4. Clicks are more difficult to do on a phone screen, which feeds this frustration. (Don't ask me why 4-5 clicks is supposedly harder than typing out a post; I can only report what I've encountered. They complain about clicking down levels, but not about filling in search blanks.) Trouble is, with Google's algorithms, the most reliable results usually do not turn up on the first or even second page; you usually need to click through to the third to get a solid result, but few people bother.

It's actually quite easy to get past Google's result rankings if you know how to properly structure a search, but very few people bother to learn the simple tricks. The biggest issue that I encounter is a tendency to give up too easily, which usually stems from arrogance; in my profession we like to say that the user assumption is that if you cannot find it in less than 3 minutes, then it must not exist; when the truth is that it's more likely that a) you're looking in the wrong place or with the wrong search terms, or b) what you're looking for is behind a paywall. (Paywalls are another reason why people don't want to bother to search; some assume that they are likely to run into one on any non-social site. That's a big reason why so many people fall for online misinformation, but I digress ...)

I made darn sure that my own kids are efficient and thorough searchers, but it's a skill that I find most schools really don't teach very well now. They teach kids how to code, but not how to search, which, IMO, is half-baked; if you can't search for spit, then you're not going to be very good at UI design.

 

[gmi3804]

Name a song with the word “bench” in the title.