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Completely anecdotally, I've seen Tiktok get replaced almost entirely by Instagram Reels in the sample space of, well, links to funny videos people send me. It

by ipdashc 10mo ago

Completely anecdotally, I've seen Tiktok get replaced almost entirely by Instagram Reels in the sample space of, well, links to funny videos people send me. It doesn't count for much, but I do feel people might have slightly overestimated how much sticking power a platform like this has.

afavour 10mo ago
Actually I think there’s an important distinction there: the draw of TikTok isn’t people sending videos to you, it’s the algorithm that automatically suggests them to you. I’ve heard it describes as uncanny at matching your interests and Reels isn’t anywhere near it. (I don’t use TikTok so I don’t know first hand!)
- justonceokay 10mo ago
  I’ve used both and I think that’s cope. There’s more younger creators and maybe more varied content on TikTok. If you want proof, watch someone’s feed with them. Invariably they will start to apologize. Classic “he’s different when we’re alone” rationalization for an addictive substance
  - dylan604 10mo ago
    > Invariably they will start to apologize This is my experience as well. I don't use the app, so my only direct experience is watching with someone scrolling their feed.
  - johnnyanmac 10mo ago
    >If you want proof, watch someone’s feed with them. Invariably they will start to apologize. Is that unique to any one social media? Our internet browsing is pretty intimate. I dont even want my family seeing my moment to moment feed.
- 9rx 10mo ago
  I tried it once. It uncannily picked up on what I was interested that day. However, by the second day I had moved on to new interests, but it didn't. It keep trying to push the same thing as the day before that I was no longer interested in anymore. Perhaps the algorithm has gotten better since, but I had no reason to want to use it after that.
lenerdenator 10mo ago
I wonder if that's generational. A lot of the people in my age group (Millennials) decided that TikTok was where we were going to get off the "hot new social media platform" train. The Zoomers and GenAlpha kids seemed to be the people really using it, but I'm just a crotchety old guy with a bald head and a gut and an office job at this point, so I don't know what the hip young people are up to with their Tok Clocks and their loud rock music.
paulddraper 10mo ago
That's generational. They are both very similar obviously, but the social network on one isn't the same as the other.
JeremyNT 10mo ago
While TikTok is clearly still dominant, I don't think it has much of a moat. If Insta and youtube shorts get enough traction, there's no reason creators won't simply post to each of them to maximize their reach. The legacy platforms are heavily courting/promoting short form video, why leave possible monetization on the table? Hell, I'm too old for their demo, but I see TikTok videos posted to Reddit and even BlueSky.
dfxm12 10mo ago
In the grand scheme of things, it's not like Zuck is any better than Ellison in the context of the article. Conservative consolidation of media is the point: Twitter, Meta, TikTok, are all the same flavor of Skittles with a slightly different colored shell.

by ipdashc 10mo ago

afavour 10mo ago

Actually I think there’s an important distinction there: the draw of TikTok isn’t people sending videos to you, it’s the algorithm that automatically suggests them to you. I’ve heard it describes as uncanny at matching your interests and Reels isn’t anywhere near it. (I don’t use TikTok so I don’t know first hand!)

justonceokay 10mo ago
I’ve used both and I think that’s cope. There’s more younger creators and maybe more varied content on TikTok. If you want proof, watch someone’s feed with them. Invariably they will start to apologize. Classic “he’s different when we’re alone” rationalization for an addictive substance
- dylan604 10mo ago
  > Invariably they will start to apologize This is my experience as well. I don't use the app, so my only direct experience is watching with someone scrolling their feed.
- johnnyanmac 10mo ago
  >If you want proof, watch someone’s feed with them. Invariably they will start to apologize. Is that unique to any one social media? Our internet browsing is pretty intimate. I dont even want my family seeing my moment to moment feed.
9rx 10mo ago
I tried it once. It uncannily picked up on what I was interested that day. However, by the second day I had moved on to new interests, but it didn't. It keep trying to push the same thing as the day before that I was no longer interested in anymore. Perhaps the algorithm has gotten better since, but I had no reason to want to use it after that.

lenerdenator 10mo ago

I wonder if that's generational. A lot of the people in my age group (Millennials) decided that TikTok was where we were going to get off the "hot new social media platform" train. The Zoomers and GenAlpha kids seemed to be the people really using it, but I'm just a crotchety old guy with a bald head and a gut and an office job at this point, so I don't know what the hip young people are up to with their Tok Clocks and their loud rock music.

paulddraper 10mo ago

That's generational. They are both very similar obviously, but the social network on one isn't the same as the other.

JeremyNT 10mo ago

While TikTok is clearly still dominant, I don't think it has much of a moat. If Insta and youtube shorts get enough traction, there's no reason creators won't simply post to each of them to maximize their reach. The legacy platforms are heavily courting/promoting short form video, why leave possible monetization on the table? Hell, I'm too old for their demo, but I see TikTok videos posted to Reddit and even BlueSky.

dfxm12 10mo ago

In the grand scheme of things, it's not like Zuck is any better than Ellison in the context of the article. Conservative consolidation of media is the point: Twitter, Meta, TikTok, are all the same flavor of Skittles with a slightly different colored shell.