Instagram has moved again. And this time it is not a simple aesthetic improvement or a lower function: what has just announced goal has the potential to completely change how we use the app in our day to day. His name is Blendand if you are one of those who spend hours sending reels to their friends by private message, get ready, because this will hook you as never before.
The popular social network, which is currently seeing how Tiktok steals much of the prominence, has presented this new function as a way of connecting better with our friends through direct messages.
Same system as Tiktok
It is not a new way to send us messages and chat, but something much more addictive, which will surely succeed: it is a Shared feed with custom reels For your friends and you. In this way, it will combine the recommendations of videos that may like you with which your friends might like, and will show them in the same space inside the group chat.
This reminds us of Tiktok to some extent, since in that app we can see videos Shared by our friends In our own feed. That is, the essence of the concept is the same.
To start using Blend, you just have to go to any conversation by direct message, either with one person or several, and touch the new blend icon. From there, a kind of timeline will be automatically created in which reels will begin to appear for that group or conversation. The selection is based on what you have seen individually and on the reels that have been shared in that conversation thread. That is, the algorithm now also works to unite tastes and affinities within your chats.
Adam Mosseri, the director of Instagram, explained that Blend is a form of convert content consumption into something more socialpromoting the conversation about the videos you see, to put aside the fact of consuming videos for the mere fact of doing so. Instead of seeing reels on your own and then deciding which one to send, now you can discover them while your friends, laugh together, comment and share them without leaving the chat.
Instagram vs Tiktok
The most interesting thing is that each chat has its own unique Blend, which makes the experience different depending on who you talk to. Your Blend will not be the same with your best friend as the one you can see with your relatives. In addition, this shared feed is updated daily with new content.
Instagram has been testing this function since March with a small group of users, but now it has begun its global deployment, so it is a matter of days that reaches all devices. And if you are wondering if it will work, the answer seems clear: it has everything to become a success. Unite the best of Tiktok (infinite and viral videos) with what hooks the most WhatsApp (groups and chats), and mix it with an algorithm that knows your tastes almost better than you.
With Blend, Instagram seeks to be placed again as the center of social experience in mobile, a position that Tiktok has been threatening for years. This function not only makes users spend more time in the app, but also enhances the interaction between friends, something that other platforms are beginning to lose.
