Instagram on Thursday said it’s launching Blend, a new feature that allows you to make a custom, personalized Reels feed for you and your friends. Blends are invite-only and can be made with a single friend or with a group chat. The personalized feeds are updated with fresh content every day.
After you join or accept an invite on Blend, you can scroll through Reels selected for everyone in the chat. When someone in the group responds to a Reel, Instagram will alert you so you can continue a conversation in the DM (direct messaging) chat. The concept behind the feature is to find out what kinds of Reels your friends are interested in, and to connect with them and share new content together.
Blend seeks to add a new social feature to Instagram that brings it back to its roots of sharing experiences with friends, which has been lost in the past few years due to a deluge of influencers and ads. With the introduction of Blend, Instagram is providing users with a feature not on TikTok, one of Instagram’s largest competitors. For Instagram, Blend may be a means of increasing Reels’ watch time and discovery on the social platform, as it’s making users sit through short-form content together.
How to Use Instagram Blend:
- Open a one-on-one or group DM conversation.
- Tap the new Blend icon at the top of the conversation.
- Tap “Invite” to invite individuals from your DM conversation to join the Blend.
- The Blend will be formed when one member of the chat accepts your invite.
- To return to a Blend, simply open the DM conversation and tap the Blend icon again.
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Conclusion
Blend is a thoughtful addition by Instagram that revives the platform’s original purpose connecting friends through shared content and meaningful interactions. Much like Spotify’s similarly named feature, Instagram Blend offers a dynamic, daily-updated space where friendship and content discovery intersect. As Instagram competes with platforms like TikTok, Blend could be a powerful tool to boost engagement and reinforce community through curated Reels experiences.
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