Instagram has recently launched a new feature called Blend that lets you share Reels recommendations with your friends. According to Engadget, this feature helps you create a custom feed that combines video recommendations for both you and your friends, making watching short videos more fun and social.
If you’re not familiar with Instagram Reels, they are short videos that can be up to three minutes long. Think of Reels as Instagram’s version of TikTok videos. Here’s what makes Reels special:
- Short videos that are quick to watch
- They include music, fun effects, and creative tools
- You can record, edit, and share them with friends or everyone
- Instagram shows you Reels it thinks you’ll like
- They were first launched in 2020
The new Blend feature is like mixing your music tastes with a friend. Imagine if you and your friend could combine your favorite songs into one playlist – Blend does this but with videos. It creates a special Reels feed that shows videos both of you might enjoy based on what you usually watch.
This shared feed is private and only visible to you and the friends you invite. It updates every day with new videos, so you’ll always have fresh content to watch together. The cool part is that you can see which videos Instagram recommends for you and which ones it recommends for your friend.
How to use Blend on Instagram:
- Open a direct message (DM) chat with a friend or group
- Look for and tap the Blend icon in the chat
- Send an invitation to your friend(s)
- Wait for them to accept the invitation
- Instagram will create a shared Reels feed just for you
- Each video will show which person it was suggested for
- You can react or reply to videos to chat about them
Instagram normally shows you Reels based on what it thinks you like. This is called an algorithm – it’s like a recipe that decides what videos to show you based on what you’ve watched before. Sometimes this can get boring because you see the same types of videos over and over.
Blend changes this by mixing your interests with your friends’ interests. It’s like if you always watch cooking videos and your friend always watches travel videos, Blend might show you both cooking videos from exotic places! This gives you a chance to discover new videos you might not have seen otherwise.
Here are some benefits of using Blend:
- See what kinds of videos your friends enjoy
- Discover new content you might have missed
- Have more to talk about with your friends
- Make watching videos more social and less lonely
- Break out of your usual video recommendations
Before Blend was launched, Instagram Reels already had good engagement. Engagement means how much people interact with content – like watching videos all the way through, liking them, or commenting.
| Instagram Reels Statistics | Before Blend | After Blend |
|---|---|---|
| Engagement rate | 1.23% | Data still limited |
| Interaction compared to regular videos | 22% more | Likely higher (exact numbers not available) |
| Engagement for smaller accounts | 5.53% average | Expected to increase |
While it’s still early to know exactly how much Blend has improved engagement, early reports suggest that it’s making Reels more interactive. When you can share and talk about videos with friends, you’re more likely to comment, share, and watch more videos.
Instagram’s Blend feature was actually in testing over a year ago before its official launch. This shows that Instagram has been working on ways to make content discovery more social for quite some time. By turning video watching from a solo activity into something you can do with friends, Instagram is trying to keep people interested and engaged for longer periods.
