Will Socializing and Streaming in Tandem Become the New Norm?

However, it did appear that this had come at a cost originally. While undoubtedly being more convenient and efficient, streaming was unable to replicate the social aspect that often came with enjoying entertainment. It cut out the opportunities to bond with like-minded people in a music shop or video store. And being able to watch series any time rather than being restricted by scheduling meant people rarely needed to sit down to watch together.

Streaming services are now working on ways to remedy this situation, and socializing while streaming could soon become the new norm.

Which Streaming Service Can be Enjoyed Simultaneously With Friends?

Over the last year, there have been a few new innovations in the entertainment industry that have made streaming with friends online a possibility. One of the most notable advancements was Netflix Party, which is now known as Teleparty.

This is a browser extension that enables users to create streaming parties with groups of friends. They simply open a video and create a party, or join an existing one. This can be done with a number of the top streaming services including Netflix, Disney, Hulu, and HBO.

The concept of Teleparty is similar to the pre-internet days when one person would rent out a film and then invite friends round to watch it. The people involved still get to enjoy the picture together and comment, with the only difference being that they are not sitting down in the same location.

Film viewers can often get added pleasure by watching alongside another person, as they get to share in the excitement, tears, laughs, and joy. When watching something alone, it can sometimes feel like an isolated experience.

There are alternative methods to using Teleparty as well. The video conference app, Zoom, is another popular option for watching videos with friends. One user simply needs to share their screen and audio to enable a group of any size to watch something together. It can also be used for streaming music.  

Streaming Entertainment Can Also Be Enjoyed with Strangers

Entertainment doesn't always have to be enjoyed alongside friends, though. Indeed, there are some extremely popular entertainment options that are often enhanced by experiencing them alongside people you don't know yet. Some of the most notable examples of this kind of entertainment are cinemas and casinos.

To create a cinema atmosphere online would be hard, as it would require a large group of people to watch the same thing together. They would have to be aware of the other people to replicate the cinema effect. Online casinos, on the other hand, have made steps towards recreating the buzzing feel of a casino floor on an internet page.

Live streaming casino gaming is now one of the most popular ways of playing. Players are able to stream a link to a live table, and it provides the feel of actually sitting down at a game of blackjack or roulette. A vast number of players can take part in the same game, and some sites allow interaction between the players. The incredible amount of choice available in these games has even brought about casino comparison sites that help players find the best new casinos and relevant bonus codes. Players have come to need these as a way to navigate all the various promotions that are available at different online casinos. They can then choose where to play based on the offers, along with the types of games available.

There Are Even Niche Options on the Market

Streaming platforms like online casinos and Netflix may seem like the obvious choices for online socializing with friends, but there are some nifty niche ideas out there as well. One of the standout entertainment tools to have emerged in recent years is Bookclubz, which is a website for organizing book club meetings.

Book clubs may have been considered by many as a thing of the past because of the abundance of instant entertainment options available nowadays. But sites like this are aiming to bring back the joy that can be found in the discussion of novels with like-minded people. Users can follow the recommended reading, create their own book clubs with friends, or join existing ones with strangers. For people who want to socialize in a different way, this is an attractive idea.

Society as a whole has become accustomed to meeting up in online situations and using platforms like Zoom to socialize with friends. The next step is to combine this with other forms of entertainment such as films and games. In a few years' time, this is likely to be considered normal.

Isabella Humphrey

Update 09 November 2020