CHICAGO, May 29, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Gen Z isn’t just spending more time on social media; they’re turning to it first when they need answers, which is shaping how they live, learn, and shop. According to new research from Sprout Social (NASDAQ: SPT), an industry-leading provider of cloud-based social media management software, this generation now prefers social media over traditional search engines. This shift is fueled by a growing trust in social, especially among younger generations, who largely report meaningful benefits from their time on social platforms, including improved mental health, financial literacy, and social connections.
Sprout Social’s Q2 2025 Pulse Survey, conducted by Glimpse, surveyed more than 2,200 social users across the US, UK, and Australia. The research finds that when looking for information, 41% of Gen Z turn to social platforms first, making social now the #1 place they search, ahead of traditional search engines (32%), chat-based AI tools (11%), and friends/family (9%). In addition, 37% of consumers across age groups prefer to go to social first when searching for product reviews and recommendations, while 35% prefer to use it first to find local restaurants and activities, underscoring social’s prominent role in discovery and commerce. This discoverability has a real bottom-line impact for businesses, as 76% of respondents say content on social (e.g., ads, influencer posts, brand content) has influenced a purchase in the past six months, with this number rising to 90% among Gen Z and 84% among Millennials.
“Largely driven by Gen Z, social is becoming the new search engine,” said Scott Morris, chief marketing officer of Sprout Social. “This shift is transformative, not just for social media, but for commerce and business overall, because it’s changing how consumers discover products and brands. For marketers, this means making social the front-line channel for building awareness, managing perception, engaging with customers, and receiving feedback. Social is where discovery happens now, making it the future of business.”
The findings shed light on why younger generations are choosing social as their first stop for search: they trust it to deliver not just information, but meaningful, positive experiences. While social media isn’t without its flaws, the survey shows that a vast majority of younger users report positive outcomes from their time on social. This is likely a result of Gen Z and Millennials using social more intentionally–to search, engage, and more actively curate their feeds to reflect their interests and values. The findings show that:
Additional findings from Sprout Social’s Q2 2025 Pulse Survey include:
Learn more about how Sprout Social’s latest customer care updates can empower marketers to provide insights-driven social care, like autonomous AI care agents and new avenues to automate, at every step of the customer journey.
About the Research
This consumer survey was conducted online by Glimpse, a global market research firm, on behalf of Sprout Social. The survey included 2,280 social media users across the US, UK, and Australia and was conducted from April 23 to May 5, 2025.
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Contact
Kaitlyn Gronek
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About Sprout Social
Sprout Social is a global leader in social media management and analytics software, built on the belief that All Business is Social℠. Sprout’s intuitive platform puts powerful social data into the hands of approximately 30,000 brands so they can deliver smarter, faster business impact. Named the #1 Best Software Product by G2’s 2024 Best Software Award, Sprout offers comprehensive publishing and engagement functionality, customer care, influencer marketing, advocacy, and AI-powered business intelligence. Sprout’s software operates across all major social media networks and digital platforms. For more information about Sprout Social (NASDAQ: SPT), visit sproutsocial.com.