It’s really not, not even close to the same. The algorithm is really, really bad compared to TikTok. You can’t pause videos, can’t download them, can’t use copyrighted music, the comments are awful and full of bullying and hate and anger. It doesn’t have the powerful tools to actually edit your videos. It doesn’t have the community. Instagram reels just feels like a bad copy of TikTok. It’s also not timely; on TikTok you see things as they happen. News arrives instantly. Stitching enables two way conversations. Everything on Instagram is just recycled crap from two weeks ago on TikTok. I only use instagram to talk to people really; the actual content doesn’t do anything for me.
This hasn't matched my experience at all. TikTok is much better at surfacing interesting content. IG's "learning" seems to be a sort of auto regressive retargeting rabbit hole logic that just doesn't compare. And the people do seem nicer. But maybe that reflects the videos I am being served. IG discussions on the other hand are more likely to have the kind of smug snark your comment does.
