Instagram Reels
Ranked 7 of 7 video platforms by recommenders
People recommend Reels for surfacing similar content from different creators and for keeping pace with TikTok. The most common caveat is that it is highly addictive and eats time.
People recommend Reels for surfacing similar content from different creators and for keeping pace with TikTok. The most common caveat is that it is highly addictive and eats time.
27 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 5
- criticize it
- 22
- approval share
- 19%
Recommended in 4 of 13 months
- November 2025: not recommended
- December 2025: not recommended
- January 2026: recommended
- February 2026: recommended
- March 2026: recommended
- April 2026: not recommended
- May 2026: not recommended
- June 2026: not recommended
- July 2026: not recommended
- August 2026: not recommended
- September 2026: not recommended
- October 2026: recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it doesn’t carry the badge
- 5 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, not met.
- 0.2 recommenders for every criticNeeds 2 to 1 or better, not met.
- Recommended in 4 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Surfaces similar content from other users
“it is able to surface similar content I would like but from different users”
Comment from 2 Jan 2026 in “A website to destroy all websites” Competitive with TikTok on content
“Reels now is at least competitive in terms of content”
Comment from 27 Jan 2026 in “TikTok users can't upload anti-ICE videos. The company blames tech issues” Instagram adapted well to short video
“IMO IG has adapted far better to the new era”
Comment from 3 Oct 2026 in “What Meta got right with Muse” Doing pretty well lately
“reels is probably doing pretty well”
Comment from 15 Mar 2026 in “2026 tech layoffs reach 45,000 in March”
What people warn about
Each mark is one comment
Addictive and hard to stop
“Instead of messing around doing random things, a couple of them would just open up Instagram reels and bam, afternoon wasted.”
Comment from 14 Jan 2026 in “Why Every Country Should Set 16 as the Minimum Age for Social Media Accounts” “is ultimately too consuming literally a drug that robs one of the ability to concentrate and patience”
Comment from 23 Feb 2026 in “Loops is a federated, open-source TikTok” “Shorts, Reels, and whatever else with those mechanics precisely because they pull you in”
Comment from 16 Apr 2026 in “YouTube now lets you turn off Shorts” - Comment from 3 Jul 2026 in “Is the iPhone birth control? Causal evidence from AT&T's 2007-2011 monopoly [pdf]”
- Comment from 28 Mar 2026 in “Fear and denial in Silicon Valley over social media addiction trial”
- Comment from 13 Apr 2026 in “EFF is leaving X”
- Comment from 16 Apr 2026 in “YouTube now lets you turn off Shorts”
Engagement-driven, targets teens
“both of which are aggressively incented to "engage" a user in ways they may not have preferred”
Comment from 23 Feb 2026 in “Loops is a federated, open-source TikTok” “They are deliberately targeting teens and it's quite sickening.”
Comment from 19 May 2026 in “Minnesota becomes first state to ban prediction markets” “They need every single drop of your attention on adverts.”
Comment from 22 Jun 2026 in “Tacky men with ridiculous glasses want you to wear them too” Copies TikTok, mostly low-quality slop
“tikok/YT shorts/IG reels is many orders of magnitude higher supply of slop”
Comment from 26 Dec 2025 in “Paperbacks and TikTok” “Instagram Reels is just a TikTok rip off. It's not 'new'.”
Comment from 3 Jul 2026 in “Zuckerberg 'Admits' Meta's Layoffs Were Ineffective” “Reels is just AI and engagement slop”
Comment from 27 Jan 2026 in “TikTok users can't upload anti-ICE videos. The company blames tech issues” Harmful content despite not interested
“You can click infinite times not interested on dangerous or adult reels and they'll just show up more and more.”
Comment from 25 Mar 2026 in “Meta told to pay $375M for misleading users over child safety” “how destructive some of Meta's content, especially Reels, can be”
Comment from 8 Aug 2026 in “Meta Ordered to Pay $942M to Address Harm to Kids from Social Media”
Other video platforms people recommend
The four most recommended other video platforms, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Criticize | Approval | Months | Owned | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| YouTube | 653 | 1,346 | 33% | 13 | 10 yrs21 owners | — |
| PeerTube | 66 | 30 | 69% | 10 | — | Approved |
| YouTube Shorts | 21 | 130 | 14% | 9 | — | — |
| Loops app | 21 | 24 | 47% | 2 | — | — |
| Instagram ReelsThis page | 5 | 22 | 19% | 4 | — | — |
What people said
25 of the 27 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“IMO IG has adapted far better to the new era”
“how destructive some of Meta's content, especially Reels, can be”
“Since then, I have actually been sleeping much better and also less negativity and stress in my life.”
“Short form videos (tik tok, YouTube shorts, instagram reels)”
“Instagram Reels is just a TikTok rip off. It's not 'new'.”
“really addictive apps were available, like TikTok, Reels and YouTube Shorts”
“They need every single drop of your attention on adverts.”
“They are deliberately targeting teens and it's quite sickening.”
“a whole lot of TikTok, Reels, Twitter, Discord, and other such mind-numbing platforms”
“Shorts, Reels, and whatever else with those mechanics precisely because they pull you in”
“my life would be better without them”
“IG/Reels in particular is notorious for that”
“I watched my 78yo step mother become addicted to reels”
“You can click infinite times not interested on dangerous or adult reels and they'll just show up more and more.”
“reels is probably doing pretty well”
“both of which are aggressively incented to "engage" a user in ways they may not have preferred”
“is ultimately too consuming literally a drug that robs one of the ability to concentrate and patience”
“these are all equally bad”
“Reels is just AI and engagement slop”
“Reels now is at least competitive in terms of content”
“they are often too short for any details over any topics”
“Instead of messing around doing random things, a couple of them would just open up Instagram reels and bam, afternoon wasted.”
“using TikTok/Reels/Shorts in the typical way, skipping videos any time the user wants has a short-term impact on prospective memory”
“it is able to surface similar content I would like but from different users”
“tikok/YT shorts/IG reels is many orders of magnitude higher supply of slop”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.