Here's the deal ... eagle-eyed fans noticed that Tina had recently liked an IG post that was criticizing the fact that Janet's concerts of late were charging sky-high prices for VIP tickets, which included meet-and-greets, etc. The gripe ... who do you think you are, Queen Bey???

Again, this was some random person's Instagram post -- featuring screengrabs of JJ ticket prices -- and folks saw that Tina was among the people who "liked" this.

Shortly thereafter, a major back-and-forth ensued between Beyhive loyalists and Janet's proverbial rhythm nation ... 'cause everyone thought Tina was cosigning the notion that Janet Jackson ain't no Beyoncé, and her trying to charge similarly was disrespectful.

Welp, Tina poured cold water on all of that ... hopping on IG to clarify what she meant.

As you can see here, she says she didn't mean to shade Janet -- and the whole thing sounds like a case of mistaken heart-button-smashing ... without properly reading.

Tina made sure to note she knows what goes into a killer live production -- and kinda kissed the ring a bit for Ms. Jackson, calling her brood the "first family of music." So yeah, she's showing reverence to Janet ... and clearly holds her in high regard.

TK also hopped on the compliment train once again in her caption, adding she "took Destiny's Child to see Janet when they were 15 years old. They always looked up to her and she opened doors for Beyoncé. Why would I hate on her ?"