In light of quarantine restrictions, watch parties have grown in popularity within mobile culture and streaming services know it. Disney +, Prime Video, and Netflix are just a few streaming services that now allow you to simultaneously watch films and shows with others online to form community audiences. There are also apps and browser extensions that allow viewers to join watch parties that offer a chat room for viewers to leave comments or discuss what they are viewing (Netflixparty, now called Teleparty, is a popular extension for Google Chrome users).
Watching videos over zoom is never a perfect experience and I would think many of my students would love to experience watching content together to allow for socializing while stuck at home (many are probably doing this already with their close friends). Unfortunately I think this would be quite difficult to support for schools with restrictions on streaming content but it would certainly be a great way to give kids a chance to socialize and learn more about each other despite physical distance.
Hi Neill,
I agree with you. Having online community audiences is a great way to get entertained and engaged with each other. I think we should consider organizing watch parties for students using a theme based approach such as sci-fi documentaries or history of worlds. They will still be entertaining while providing an opportunity to interact, real-time discussion and feedback. This may be a great way of engagement and development of social skills among students globally.However, digital literacy and citizenship should be kept into consideration while the students’ are participating in a real-time live-streaming of videos. Students especially at middle and high grades should be taught the significance of digital citizenship before they are being introduced to watch parties.
Prior to Covid and quarantine, I had heard the idea of watching a movie at the same time in your separate houses and thought it was the more ridiculous thing that I had ever heard of! I could not wrap my head around how that could possibly pass for socialization. However, since March, my friends an I have has a watch party via either Netflix or Disney Plus every single week and it never fails to be the thing I look forward to the most each week. Even though we are not together I feel like they are right there and it does succeed in checking off that socialization box for, me at least. Even though for many of us this trend came out of necessity, but I can see it continuing even when quarantine is over.