My Problem with Instagram and Why I Don't Use Tiktok

Anyone else feel me on this one?

Thank you so much for watching! Hope you enjoyed it!

If you're new to my channel and videos, hi! I'm Evan Edinger, and I make weekly "comedy" videos every Sunday evening. As an American living in London I love noticing the funny differences between the cultures and one of my most popular video series is my British VS American one. I'm also known for making terrible puns so sorry in advance. Hope to see you around, and I'll see you next Sunday! :)

#Instagram #Tiktok #EvanEdinger

If you want to know HOW I make my videos including gear, lighting, all the tiddly bits that connect it all together, (with cheaper alternatives and kit I used to use), I've listed each item, what it's great at, and why I use it on the gear section of my website here:

Otherwise: here's a quick list of some of my kit without descriptions from the above link:

Camera: Sony A7siii

Main Lens: Sony 24mm f/1.4 G-Master

Secondary Lens: Sony 16-35mm f/2.8 G-Master

Main Light: Aputure 120d mkii

Shotgun Microphone: Sennheiser MKH-416

Really useful SSD: SanDisk Extreme Portable 2TB

[ronthedog]

I'm genuinely impressed with your ability to speak in a focused manor. Hardly any cuts in this video (if any?) but it's all extremely comprehensive. 11 minutes felt like 4.

[TheHersiHersi]

I would love to see Evan make documentaries. He has the ability to engage people on a personal level. I don’t know what he’d make them about but I’m here for anything.

[melaniemurphyofficial]

I feel this so hard. I’ve been enjoying posting a lot more since I stopped worrying about ‘growing’ 💚 I do still feel the pressure, but yeah…same…just don’t really want to 😅 Playing the game isn’t fulfilling, connecting/being authentic is. There’s probably a balance though! Like you said (about YT shorts)

[Lellopig]

One of my favourite things about you as a creator is that I get to experience your views and thoughts on things that you clearly know something about, without feeling bombarded by you. You always feel like a genuine human just sharing their thoughts instead of a “brand” selling yourself to the viewer. You’re wonderful, please don’t change!

[gailfoster]

I've also noticed this homogenization of all the social media platforms, and you encapsulated this idea well, from the introduction of Instagram stories to mimic Snapchat, to the addition of reels to Insta (and now FB) and shorts to YouTube to mimic TikTok. I'm not a TikTok user so my only exposure to it comes from people who cross-post their content on Insta, but I'm totally with you that I'd rather keep the use of these apps separate.

[luke]

We’ve been having this battle in various forms for so long. I feel this video very much! Very well articulated 😁

[Dontreply]

I just watched the documentary "The Social Dilemma" and I have never been more happy to not have an Insta and Facebook, but sometimes it's hard when people ask for your feeds rather than anything else. After watching that I really like that you say you are not a brand, it makes you more human and not seem like a character.

[amykochel]

I agree 100%. Ever since youtube started doing shorts I find myself endlessly scrolling through 15 second video that I don't even like. When all I wanted to do was open YouTube to watch videos from people I'm actually subscribed to.

[TheShmoo]

I’m a 61yr old English woman, that probs makes me invisible & worthless….but I care, I love authentic Evan and for what it’s worth, authentic is hard to do in real life, so thanks for doing it Evs! This Northern woman, living in the South, who admires your fortitude & spirit says, keep up the good work …….but then, maybe that’s the kiss of death 🤷🏽‍♀️

[dante]

It's amazing how Instagram would rather be a cheap knock-off of TikTok than figure out how to be a better Instagram.

[amarelric]

You're not alone, brother. I was born in '95 and got upset when a classmate asked me to take a selfie for the chance to win whatever. I only joined facebook because all the university-related information was there and only there. I quit facebook the moment I had the chance to. I applaud you for choosing your mental health over trend. ^_^

[SimpleHappyZen]

I can relate a lot and you've just listed many of the reasons why I'm not on Instagram or Tiktok, or make YouTube shorts, as a fulltime YouTube creator. Sure it would likely be good for the growth of my channel, but I wouldn't enjoy any of it. And I want to keep enjoying my work. Basically, if I can keep this thing up doing what I love, I don't mind missing out on potential growth that would come from doing something I really don't enjoy.

[AddiRockART]

I’m 31 and I really feel this. I’ve been on social since MySpace, and helped brand other people, and helped build those brands… but my IG tanked because I’m not gonna do tiktok dances for reels… it’s just not my thing. I dunno. I can tell you how much to post, how often, what hashtags to use, what trends to folllow in order to build your account, but I personally feel very apathetic to a lot of stuff when it comes to my own “brand.” I’m feeling like I’m forced to compromise what I really want just to stay a full time creative.

[emb]

I really feel this, I'm an illustrator and honestly i barely have a following on social media but there's just so much pressure to build a huge following and do numbers and "oh u gotta post every single day!" like im a robot or something, it's absolutely insane how creators/artists of any kind are just expected to basically be influencers now and I'm just done, i don't want to be an influencer, i want to make cute fun art that I'm proud of and enjoyed making and if i get nothing but 2 likes so be it

[MrJordanSDean]

I resonate with this so much. I've become so exhausted chasing algorithms, fighting through the noise and not being able to share how I'd like. I'm a grown ass man, I don't have the time or energy to be fighting platforms that are fighting me back to be seen.

[NoraBhsas]

I was surprised when this video ended because I felt that the time passed by quickly, that shows how good you are of conveying thought and engaging us with your content. I honestly feel the same way, you should do what you genuinely love regardless of numbers, to me, Youtube is my favorite platform, I would rather have 200 subscribers on it rather than having 1000 subscribers on TikTok.

[ajmalaika]

It's also fun being old enough to remember Vine and how much of a meme hub it was, but also how quickly it dropped off. Which makes Tik Tok feel a little weird all the time.
But now (at least my feed) is like digest Youtube with a couple curated creators that work better there than youtube

[alycats]

Honestly, I love your photos on insta. You can tell that you put a lot of effort into it, and that you enjoy what you do. I love seeing them because I know you’re proud of the photos you post. When your pics pop up in my feed, it often provides a moment of relief for me because you do a lot of scenery and nature, and you’re able to capture the beauty so nicely; the quality really shows, and I’m here for it.

Also, TikTok scares me; I don’t have it.

[ys.v]

i’m a photographer and graphic designer. and the shift in algorithm was GLARING. you just become jaded and stop caring about interactions - posting what you like to see

[sanneo]

I really like these sit down videos and can definitely relate. I am in my early 20s and because of how i can just scroll though instagram for a long time, i chose to not go on tiktok. I missed memes here and there, which friends explain sometimes. But i am still very happy with my decision to not get tiktok and am trying to use instagram less.