Social Media Showdown: TikTok vs. Instagram Reels

TIKTOK:

There’s a reason why TikTok has been around longer than Instagram Reels. Simply put, it’s because TikTok is better. 

TikTok and Musical.ly merged in 2018 and thus started with approximately 100 million users. Musical.ly was a beloved platform for many and was mostly used to make lip-syncing videos. 

Many users transferred their accounts to TikTok after the merger, but the same premise from both apps remained the same. As a short-form video app, TikTok recognized teenagers’ short attention spans and capitalized on them, giving users a way to pass the time when bored. 

TikTok soared during the COVID-19 pandemic, when almost all there was to do was scroll through the app. 

Instagram Reels has the same scrolling, short-form video format, but TikTok was the original — Reels is just a copy. 

A worse copy. 

TikTok’s evolution through different eras represents how it’s progressed. Just as its users have grown up and are no longer making dance videos, the app has grown up too. TikTok has welcomed a plethora of new users over the years, being the most downloaded app of 2021, according to Social Shepard. 

Some prefer Instagram Reels to avoid the supposed “brain rot” TikTok causes, according to Psyche, but the two apps have the same general concept. 

Despite their similarities, TikTok’s algorithm is more inclusive as it pushes for new creators’ videos to appear on anyone’s screen, whilst Reels tends to only show accounts with large followings already. 

TikTok users can also choose to either just see posts from accounts they follow or scroll their For You page, which processes what they’ve liked and curates a personalized feed of videos.

TikTok users can also hide their likes. On Reels everyone’s forced to be mindful of what they like because anyone can see if the accounts they’re mutuals liked any video they come across. Reels users can’t relax like TikTok users can. 

Also, TikTok fame has given many influencers and artists incredible opportunities. Consider Charli D’amelio, who’s now on Broadway because TikTok gave her a chance to bring her dance talent to a global audience. Or artists Lil Nas X with his 2019 pop song “Old Town Road” which went viral on the app and allowed him to be a star and Doja Cat’s iconic “Say So” song paired with a dance, handing her many spots on the Billboard Top 100. 

In the end, TikTok is more user-friendly. Many love Instagram as a way to post about life and share with friends, so why did it need to add Reels? 

When you’re getting ready with your friends, you’re going to hear, “Let’s make a TikTok” — never “let’s make an Instagram Reel.” 

INSTAGRAM REELS:

Instagram Reels are so bad, they’re even better than TikTok. 

When the scare of a TikTok ban loomed, many turned to Instagram Reels, according to the New York Times. However, I’d been an avid consumer of Instagram Reels even before Jan. 19.

When you open the Explore page on Instagram, you’re given an abundance of content options. Whether you want to watch fashion videos, ASMR videos or even videos reposted from TikTok, it’s all available at the tap of a finger. 

On TikTok, it’s either the For You page or the people you follow. With Instagram Reels, there’s an endless supply of videos, and users can navigate the direction they want to go — the screen is filled with various videos to choose from.

The content on Instagram Reels may seem subpar in comparison to TikTok, but really this is one reason it’s so great. With Reels, things can show up on your feed with no rhyme or reason, allowing users to discover videos they may have never looked into before. 

Some of the funniest videos on my Explore page never would’ve popped up in my TikTok algorithm. 

Instagram Reels has a much larger demographic, catering to teenagers as well as older generations according to Fourthwall. Statistics show there are 2 billion monthly active users, in contrast, there are only just over two million monthly active users on TikTok, according to Demand Sage. 

Most people who have TikTok also have Instagram — but the reverse isn’t always true. 

TikTok’s also recently has been the center of political controversy, as President Donald Trump signed an executive order extending the app’s access in the U.S., saying “We have to save it”, the Associated Press reported.

Trump used TikTok’s popularity as a way to persuade and win over young voters in this election who use TikTok, according to the Associated Press. The app’s hegemony being weaponized as a manipulation tactic points to a potential broader issue of TikTok influencing young minds in possibly harmful ways.

The fact that Instagram Reels are available to anyone with an Instagram account makes short-form video content far more accessible. Rather than needing to download a completely different app — eating up over 300MB of storage, according to Dexerto — users can watch videos baked into social media they already have.

Overall, the accessibility and demographic range of Instagram Reels allows more people to connect and share aspects of their life — isn’t that what these apps are all about?