Infographic by Heli Shah
Instagram and TikTok can be used for many purposes.
It can be used as a tool for staying engaged with global events or discovering the latest trends.
Instagram’s features are different compared to TikTok.
Content after another, and self-comparison can make it harder to delete.
TikTok can waste our time, but Instagram can drain our focus and confidence.
It is a huge distraction from what is truly around us in life, pulling us away from our responsibilities or comparing ourselves to what we see online.
While both platforms can easily take up our time, Instagram is harder to leave.
Whenever a break is needed from social media, it’s always Instagram I delete first, and I’ve noticed that I’m not the only person to do so.
Friends who are on the app also disappear from Instagram but find them posting and active on TikTok instead. Why is that?
There are plenty of reasons why Instagram is more distracting than TikTok.
Both apps are designed differently.
Instagram includes multiple features – a main feed, story highlights, reels, explore page, and direct messages, making it hard to delete the app.
TikTok is very straightforward with how it’s designed; you just keep scrolling and find yourself bored because the content may not be as good as when you first open the app.
Instagram creates a mental distraction. Instead of just entertaining users, it also encourages self-comparison.
The “perfect” posts and content can make you feel as if you are not doing enough or living up to the expectations of what others post.
TikTok can be addicting, but Instagram can feel more personal.
While it pushes you to think you’re enough, it may also tell you you’re not doing enough, leaving you to think of your own capabilities in life.
But I reassure myself that whatever I see on social media isn’t always real because life is more complicated than what is shown online.
For students like me, this app is a distraction that can quickly become a part of a daily routine.
One quick scroll through my break or in the middle of doing important work can turn 10
minutes into half an hour of checking stories or watching reels that might be irrelevant, but entertaining.
TikTok’s algorithm is another reason.
You can keep scrolling through all the posts on the application for your page, refresh it and the content you’re interested in will stay the same for about a week.
Instagram, however, has multiple types of content to show.
From contents to ads, it makes us want to stay and see what more they have for us.
Every time we scroll, the algorithm gains more information about us.
Any social media app can steal your attention and time, but Instagram takes away from us more deeply, our attention, and our peace of mind.