Instagram launches Blend, a new feature for sharing Reels with friends: Here's how to use it

In an effort to enhance social interactions and engagement on its platform, Instagram has introduced a new feature called Blend. This feature allows users to create a private feed of recommended Instagram Reels shared with their friends or group chats. While the concept may seem somewhat perplexing at first glance, it holds the potential to offer users a more collaborative and personal way to enjoy the content that populates their feed. Instagram's introduction of Blend is reminiscent of the Spotify Blend playlists, where users can share music with friends based on shared tastes. However, in this case, Blend applies to the scrolling experience of Instagram Reels—offering a new way to experience social media in tandem with others.

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What is Instagram Blend and why does it matter

Blend allows users to share and discover content through a private feed of recommended Reels, tailored to the interests of both the user and their friends. The feature gives users a chance to learn more about what their friends and loved ones are watching and reacting to on Instagram, fostering a deeper connection through shared interests. The initiative could lead to a more collaborative experience for users, who typically scroll through Reels alone, by making content consumption more social.

The feature works within direct messages (DMs) and group chats, enabling users to exchange opinions and reactions to suggested Reels. It’s a major shift from the solitary nature of traditional social media consumption, inviting people to discover new content while engaging in conversation about it. Instagram’s head, Adam Mosseri, explained in a Reel that the feature was designed to facilitate deeper connections among users and encourage conversations sparked by shared content.

Blend appears to be another way for Instagram to compete with apps like TikTok, which have successfully created interactive, social content discovery experiences for their users. By introducing a feature that keeps users engaged for longer periods through mutual interaction, Instagram aims to ensure that its platform remains a go-to space for socializing and discovering content.


How to use Instagram Blend

The feature has been in development since March 2024, with early testing conducted with a subset of users. Now that it’s available to a broader audience, here’s a step-by-step guide on how to use Instagram Blend.


Step 1: Open a DM and tap ‘Blend’

• To get started, open a direct message with a friend or group. You will notice the Blend icon appear at the top right of the conversation. Tapping the icon is the first step to starting your Blend experience.

Step 2: Tap ‘Invite’

• Once the Blend feature is activated, you’ll need to send an invite to one or more people in the conversation. Once they accept, you and your friends can start discovering Reels recommended by Instagram’s algorithm, which are tailored to both your preferences and theirs.

Step 3: Scroll and react

• After inviting someone, the Blend feature will refresh daily with new Reels suggestions. As you scroll through these suggested Reels, you and your friends can react to them using the reply bar, which will send responses back to the conversation, allowing you to discuss the content in real-time.

This dynamic not only encourages discovery but also keeps the conversation flowing as each person reacts to different Reels in the feed. The Blend will continue to refresh daily, giving users a reason to return and engage with the content, making the experience feel fresh and interactive.


Instagram Blend: A new way to share and discover reels with friends

The introduction of Blend represents a new attempt by Instagram to strengthen its user engagement and differentiate itself from other platforms. By incorporating social features into content discovery, Instagram is aiming to make scrolling through Reels a more communal activity. This could be particularly beneficial for users who feel the solo nature of content consumption on platforms like Instagram and TikTok leaves little room for social interaction.

Instagram Blend also helps personalize the content recommendations within the platform. It allows for more discovery based on shared interests, potentially increasing the time users spend on Instagram by offering them more relevant and engaging content.

While Blend might appear to be a niche feature at first, it could have significant implications for how users connect with each other and how content is consumed on social media. It could foster new ways of interacting with friends, learning about each other's tastes, and engaging with a wider array of content.


Instagram Blend vs. other social media features

Blend is not the first attempt by a social media platform to bring social elements into content discovery. TikTok, for example, has already mastered this type of engagement, with its algorithm-driven For You Page that shares content based on user behavior, while encouraging communal interaction through likes, comments, and shares. Instagram’s Blend could allow the platform to keep pace with its competitors by offering an interactive experience that mimics aspects of TikTok, while simultaneously tapping into Instagram’s broader multimedia ecosystem.

While Spotify Blend playlists focus on music, Instagram Blend targets video content—particularly short-form Reels. This key difference positions Instagram Blend to be highly relevant for users who spend substantial amounts of time browsing video content in isolation. By offering a way to interact with the content and each other, Instagram creates a more connected social environment that encourages users to share, react, and discover together.


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