The Short Video War – TikTok vs. Youtube Shorts vs. Instagram Reels

In today’s world, short videos are definitely the way of going viral, and it’s already a popular trend everywhere – we can all agree on that.

And it’s no wonder we’ve all embraced this – they’re like quick bites of content, just like snacks. Why? They’re easy to digest and often relatable to our day-to-day lives. We can watch them while eating, going to work, or even before falling asleep to disconnect from reality (hey, I get it!). And this is how the new generation wants to consume information. They want it delivered in small, digestible pieces that fit into their busy lives without consuming too much energy. 

But gone are the days when Vine was the king of short videos. Nowadays, all platforms have jumped on the bandwagon, making short videos the new normal. That’s why TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube are now all competing for the throne. 

TikTok is currently holding the trophy for the most popular short video platform – there’s no denying that. But it’s easy to see why. 

Compared to other platforms, TikTok has cracked the secret and created a platform that is not one-size-fits-all, like any other platform. Instead, TikTok has developed an algorithm that automatically displays videos that are made just for you! Even the feed’s name, “For You Page”, suggests its personalized and customized content. But with TikTok’s algorithm tailored to your unique likes and interests (and sometimes even the situations or moods you’re in), it’s no surprise that TikTok is so popular.

And the greatest thing about TikTok? It’s made for everyone to do whatever they want. While, indeed, the younger generation is more prone to use this app, TikTok’s user-friendly interface has made it accessible to all ages. And everyone can become viral! From a teenage girl dancing to a mom and a kid showing their day-to-day lives and even a grandma sharing her life stories entertainingly.

Ah, Instagram! Everyone’s unwanted competitor. We all know the power that Instagram holds nowadays. Not only when it comes to short videos but rather as a social media platform as a whole. 

There are two categories of people in the online world: people who watch TikToks, and those who watch Instagram Reels. But in reality, there is no significant difference between these two platforms regarding short videos. But because Instagram offers a complete set of features, not only short videos, people are more prone to using it since they already use the platform as a whole. 

However, Instagram doesn’t offer the same personalized content algorithm as TikTok. Rather, it’s showing us videos related to the ones our friends and we have interacted with. Even more so, the funny part is that the majority of content on Instagram Reels is actually from TikTok. So people who are watching TikToks are the ones who see the videos first.

YouTube Shorts is a new feature on YouTube, and it was born as a result of Instagram and TikTok gaining popularity. However, compared to other short video platforms, there hasn’t been an explosion of content on YouTube Shorts yet. 

Even more so, the content that we can find on Youtube Shorts is quite different from the other ones. While for Instagram Reels and TikTok Videos, we can find anything, YouTube Shorts it is primarily published in a sequence from long-form videos. This means that we are mostly exposed to comedy sketches, music videos, parts of Ted Talks, and so on. 

For this reason, although YouTube is the king of long-form videos, YouTube Shorts fails to be a real competitor in the short-form videos race.