College & Research Libraries News vol. 83, no. 9 (October 2022)


October 2022 418C&RL News 

Gary Pattillo is reference librarian at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, e-mail:  
pattillo@email.unc.edu

Google not so popular with Gen Z-ers
When it comes to searching for information on the internet, about 40 per-
cent of Gen Z-ers prefer to use platforms like TikTok or Instagram instead 
of Google. That is according to internal research at Google, who surveyed a 
group aged 18 to 24. The general reason cited by most of those surveyed was 
that they prefer visual platforms over Google’s text-based platform.
Kalhan Rosenblatt, “Many Gen Zers Don’t Use Google. Here’s Why They Prefer to Search 
on TikTok and Instagram,” NBC News, July 19, 2022, https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/social-
media/many-gen-zers-dont-use-google-s-prefer-search-tiktok-insta gram-rcna38221. 

The value of higher education
“A majority [of Americans surveyed] (64 percent) believes that adults living in 
the United States need some sort of postsecondary credential to ensure finan-
cial security, with 27 percent saying that Americans need at least a bachelor’s 
degree or beyond. Over three-quarters of Americans (76 percent) continue to 
believe that education beyond high school offers a good return on investment 
for students. About half of Americans (52 percent) believe that students have 
access to an affordable, high-quality education after high school.”
Rachel Fishman, Sophie Nguyen, and Louisa Woodhouse, “Varying Degrees 2022: New 
America’s Sixth Annual Survey on Higher Education,” New America, July 26, 2022, http://
newamerica.org/education-policy/reports/varying-degrees-2022.

Surge in independent bookstores
“More than 300 new independent bookstores . . . have sprouted across the 
United States in the past couple of years, in a surprising and welcome revival 
after an early pandemic slump.” Bookstore sales fell nearly 30 percent in 
2020, but bookstores appear to be rebounding. The American Booksellers 
Association “now has 2,023 member stores in 2,561 locations, up from 1,689 
in early July of 2020.”
Alexandra Alter and Elizabeth A. Harris, “Some Surprising Good News: Bookstores Are 
Booming and Becoming More Diverse,” New York Times, July 10, 2022, sec. Books, https://
www.nytimes.com/2022/07/10/books/bookstores-diversity-pandemic.html.

Internet usage among U.S. teens
“Nearly half of all U.S. teens (46 percent) say they use the internet ‘almost 
constantly,’ according to a new poll, around double the percentage (24 per-

http://www.nbcnews.com/tech/social-media/many-gen-zers-dont-use-google-s-prefer-search-tiktok-insta
http://www.nbcnews.com/tech/social-media/many-gen-zers-dont-use-google-s-prefer-search-tiktok-insta
http://newamerica.org/education-policy/reports/varying-degrees-2022
http://newamerica.org/education-policy/reports/varying-degrees-2022
http://www.nytimes.com/2022/07/10/books/bookstores-diversity-pandemic.html


October 2022 419C&RL News 

cent) that reported the same usage in 2014–15. Nearly all (97 percent) say 
they use the internet daily. More than half (53 percent) of teens who almost 
constantly use at least one social network say they are on social media too 
much. Most teens (75 percent) say they visit YouTube daily, and around half 
say they use TikTok daily, Snapchat and Instagram at least daily.” 
Sara Fischer, “Internet Usage Skyrocketing among U.S. Teens,” Axios, August 13, 2022, https://
www.axios.com/2022/08/13/teens-online-habits-study.

Higher education enrollment
“College attendance among undergraduates has fallen almost 10 percent since 
Covid emerged in early 2020. Nearly 1.3 million students have disappeared 
from American colleges during the Covid-19 pandemic. Research shows 
that if students stop out, or take a leave of absence, they may not continue 
with their studies, and that’s particularly true for those from disadvantaged 
backgrounds.”
Karin Fischer, “The Shrinking of Higher Ed,” Chronicle of Higher Education, August 12, 2022, 
https://www.chronicle.com/article/the-shrinking-of-higher-ed.

http://www.axios.com/2022/08/13/teens-online-habits-study
http://www.chronicle.com/article/the-shrinking-of-higher-ed