Shorts and Reels are tacked on to an existing app while TikTok immediately plays a video upon opening the app. It’s not competing with the original functionality of the app for attention. TikTok is also designed first and foremost for mobile users while YouTube was originally for PC users. YouTube now nonsensically pushing Shorts onto PC and TV users feeds really demonstrates the lack of a solid direction. TikTok doesn’t really deal with a split user-base using inherently different platforms.

Bytedance gives out a free basic and easy to use video editor, CapCut that helps lower the barrier for entry when creating short video content. It’s easier for new content creators to gain a footing in TikTok because of the way its algorithm works.

From TikTok’s article on how their For You Page works:

While a video is likely to receive more views if posted by an account that has more followers, by virtue of that account having built up a larger follower base, neither follower count nor whether the account has had previous high-performing videos are direct factors in the recommendation system.

Interrupting repetitive patterns

To keep your For You feed interesting and varied, our recommendation system works to intersperse diverse types of content along with those you already know you love. For example, your For You feed generally won’t show two videos in a row made with the same sound or by the same creator. We also don’t recommend duplicated content, content you’ve already seen before, or any content that’s considered spam. However, you might be recommended a video that’s been well received by other users who share similar interests.

Diversifying recommendations

To that end, sometimes you may come across a video in your feed that doesn’t appear to be relevant to your expressed interests or have amassed a huge number of likes. This is an important and intentional component of our approach to recommendation: bringing a diversity of videos into your For You feed gives you additional opportunities to stumble upon new content categories, discover new creators, and experience new perspectives and ideas as you scroll through your feed.

YouTube and Instagram changing their algorithm to be more like TikTok would result in some push back from their existing users especially their top creators, who got there by “optimizing” for the existing algorithm.