Is Search Dead?
The end of endless scrolling is here. (Or is it?)
‘Traditional’ search – typing keywords, sifting through pages of results, opening countless tabs – is becoming obsolete. As we approach the end of 2024, I find myself reflecting on a profound shift in how we discover and interact with information.
The shift hit me personally when planning my previous trip to Seoul. Frustrated with generic listicles and outdated blog posts, I found myself using LFG, my own travel discovery platform, to find local favorites in Hongdae and hidden gems in Ikseon-dong Hanok Village that other travelers have shared.
The experience was refreshing from traditional search – instead of sifting through pages of results, the platform understood my preference for hipster coffee shops and authentic street food, much like how Spotify seems to know exactly what music I'll enjoy next (big fan of Spotify btw).
Okay, But Is Search Really Dead?
But declaring "search is dead" might be premature. While ChatGPT has impressively gathered 180 million users and Perplexity has carved out a devoted following among researchers and academics (including myself), Google still processes billions of searches daily.
As The Atlantic article points out, even when AI search tools work perfectly, there's something valuable about the "sprawl" of traditional search – the serendipitous discoveries and deeper understanding that come from flipping through multiple sources. This Forbes article takes a bolder stance, with industry leaders like mindstudio.io's CEO declaring "Googling is dead!"
But let’s be honest – it's not that Googling (searching, in this context) is dying - it’s more a reborn.
"Google is in a great position to keep its dominance in organizing all of the world's information”
I think the real question isn't whether Google can technically replicate what Perplexity or ChatGPT does - I mean, of course it can, and probably better, given its vast resources and data advantages. The question is whether it can adapt and overcome its own success with its core business model.
The AI Revolution in Action
Meanwhile, the new wave of AI tools is rapidly evolving. My personal favorites: Perplexity, which has found its niche by focusing on academic research and fact-checking, and Claude, which excels at reasoning and complex writing.
I’ve firsthand witnessed fascinating ways these tools are being used in combination. I watched an intern of ours research graduate programs – she used Perplexity for initial program comparison, Claude for further analyzing research opportunities, and then turned to Reddit and Instagram to understand student life and campus culture. This wasn't just more effective than traditional search; it provided richer, more contextual information.
The Human Element Persists
Ironically, as our discovery tools become more automated, human curation has become more valuable. We trust AI to process information, but we trust humans for judgment.
When I'm researching new restaurants, I’d want AI to handle quick facts – location, hours, menu prices, reservation policies – but I still trust local foodie (more micro-creators) for the intangible elements: atmosphere, authenticity, whether it's worth the hype.
This raises an interesting tension between curation and personalization – a topic worthy of its own deep dive (next article perhaps?).
While AI excels at personalizing recommendations based on data patterns, human curators bring context, emotion, and cultural understanding that algorithms still struggle to replicate.
The future might not be about choosing between these approaches, but finding the right balance for different discovery contexts. (At least that’s what we’re trying to achieve with LFG).
A New Discovery Landscape
As we enter 2025, we're not seeing the death of search so much as its evolution into something more intelligent and contextual. The future of discovery needs to be as intuitive as finding your next favorite song – a seamless blend of personalization, curation, and AI-powered understanding.
Just as Spotify has transformed music discovery, I believe sectors like travel and lifestyle discovery are heading in the same direction too. This vision isn't just about replacing search – it's about reimagining how we connect with places and experiences that resonate with our personal style.
In conclusion… the search bar isn't dead, yet. But I believe its monopoly on discovery certainly is.
As someone building in this space, I'm excited to be part of this transformation – helping create a world where finding your next favorite place feels as natural as stumbling upon your new favorite song.
As we look toward 2025, the question isn't whether traditional search will survive, but how it will evolve to meet the changing needs of a generation that expects information to find them, not the other way around.
Thanks for reading,
D. Han