The brand new Instagram Co-Watching feature is launched with the intent of making physical distancing a little bit more bearable for friends. The new attribute completely reimagines the passive experience of scrolling through the platform and transforms it into a more social and active endeavor.
The Instagram Co-Watching feature makes it possible for friends to video or group chat while browsing through the liked or saved posts of one user or content that the social media platform recommends. This enables users to not only spend time with one another amid the pandemic, but it also gives them some entertaining prompts, allowing them to "ooh, ahh, joke and talk about Instagram's content instead of just consuming it solo."
The Instagram Co-Watching feature is here to stay, even after the rules of physical distancing have lifted.
Image Credit: Instagram
Key Themes Behind This Trend
- Social Co-viewing
- The rise of social co-viewing features on various social media platforms like Instagram presents an opportunity for entertainment and media companies to create more interactive and collaborative content.
- Virtual Socializing
- The pandemic has spurred the adoption of virtual socializing with friends and family, creating a market opportunity for communication and collaboration tools.
- Shared Experiences
- The emergence of co-watching features signifies the appeal of shared experiences among young consumers, presenting disruptive innovation opportunities for brands to create more community-building activities.
Where This Applies
- Social Media
- The launch of the Instagram Co-Watching feature underscores the potential for social media companies to develop more collaborative and interactive features that facilitate remote socializing.
- Video Conferencing
- The rise of co-viewing features like Instagram's Co-Watching further highlights the demand for video conferencing tools that enable users to share experiences in real-time, presenting market opportunities for tech companies.
- Entertainment
- The popularity of co-watching features among young consumers points towards a potential market for more social and interactive entertainment experiences that allow users to share experiences with others in real-time.
