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Alright a pet peeve I never knew I had is when thought leaders discuss apps that they are not users of. Most discussions I’ve seen on Reels/TikTok has started with “I don’t actually use it but-”
So I’m writing my own unfiltered thoughts, from an actual TikTok user.
Thread:
1/ TikTok’s biggest selling point is the ability to elevate creators who dont already have a large following. Historically, IG has serves to elevate influencers who already have high engagement, which stems from having an already high number of
2/ The culture on IG doesn’t lend itself to “killing” off TikTok. Creators on IG overindex on perfecting aesthetics, having a clean grid, and the best highlights.
The culture on (alt) TikTok allows for people to be silly, unfiltered, and much more weird.
3/ It’s a lot easier to ignore Reels by scrolling past it on the Explore page (which I barely use), and much harder to ignore my FYP on TikTok, which the very first thing I see when I open TikTok.
It makes it so much easier to consume even if I’m not a creator myself.
4/ Reels on IG can only be up to 15 secs, and while TikTok videos started out as < 15 secs, they can now be up to 60 secs long.
This allows for much more varied and detailed content, and for users to have a more tailored algorithm on their FYP.
So I’m writing my own unfiltered thoughts, from an actual TikTok user.
Thread:
1/ TikTok’s biggest selling point is the ability to elevate creators who dont already have a large following. Historically, IG has serves to elevate influencers who already have high engagement, which stems from having an already high number of
Personal take: I\u2019m definitely going to try out Reels, but even with only 8k on my TikTok, I have TikToks that have 500k+ views so unless Reels can offer that same chance of content discovery and level of exposure, I see myself going back (also I like being sillier on tiktok tbh)
— paddington stan account (@Adriyoung) August 5, 2020
2/ The culture on IG doesn’t lend itself to “killing” off TikTok. Creators on IG overindex on perfecting aesthetics, having a clean grid, and the best highlights.
The culture on (alt) TikTok allows for people to be silly, unfiltered, and much more weird.
laughing at the idea that microsoft PMs will have to decipher this video https://t.co/utC9bKX8YB
— tina (@patagucci_girl) July 31, 2020
3/ It’s a lot easier to ignore Reels by scrolling past it on the Explore page (which I barely use), and much harder to ignore my FYP on TikTok, which the very first thing I see when I open TikTok.
It makes it so much easier to consume even if I’m not a creator myself.
4/ Reels on IG can only be up to 15 secs, and while TikTok videos started out as < 15 secs, they can now be up to 60 secs long.
This allows for much more varied and detailed content, and for users to have a more tailored algorithm on their FYP.
Hot take: Instagram Reels won\u2019t be able to touch TikTok without creating something that can compete with the algorithm of the FYP. Until then, it\u2019s just TikTok editing tools slapped onto the IG app \U0001f937\U0001f3fb\u200d\u2640\ufe0f
— paddington stan account (@Adriyoung) August 5, 2020
SCOOP: The Oracle TikTok deal was supposed to prevent TikTok from passing data to Chinese police. Turns out Oracle has been marketing its own data analytics software to...Chinese police.
a.k.a. the weirdest China tech story I’ve ever written 1/1
I found dozens of Oracle documents detailing how Chinese police can use the company's analytics software to mine databases containing DNA, vehicle records, facial recognition images, hotel registrations, and lists of drug users. 2/2
Oracle documents give detailed "use cases" that include screenshots of the software interface, suggesting that two provincial police departments (Liaoning and Shanxi) actually used Oracle tech to mine social and other data. One such case was presented at Oracle’s HQ in 2018. 3/3
Oracle has accused me of obtaining “Chinese domain” documents from one of their competitors, so let me be clear on where I found these documents: https://t.co/vavs1N8M9P, using a little search engine called Google. 4/4
Different employees authored the Oracle documents, but some are the work of a former Singaporean cop turned Oracle senior employee. For two years while at the company, his bios say that he was a visiting researcher at China’s leading policing academy. 5/5
a.k.a. the weirdest China tech story I’ve ever written 1/1
I found dozens of Oracle documents detailing how Chinese police can use the company's analytics software to mine databases containing DNA, vehicle records, facial recognition images, hotel registrations, and lists of drug users. 2/2
Oracle documents give detailed "use cases" that include screenshots of the software interface, suggesting that two provincial police departments (Liaoning and Shanxi) actually used Oracle tech to mine social and other data. One such case was presented at Oracle’s HQ in 2018. 3/3

Oracle has accused me of obtaining “Chinese domain” documents from one of their competitors, so let me be clear on where I found these documents: https://t.co/vavs1N8M9P, using a little search engine called Google. 4/4
Different employees authored the Oracle documents, but some are the work of a former Singaporean cop turned Oracle senior employee. For two years while at the company, his bios say that he was a visiting researcher at China’s leading policing academy. 5/5