Enhancing online personal connections through the synchronized sharing of online video

Abstract

Going to movies in a group and inviting friends over to watch TV are common social activities. This social engagement both improves the viewing experience and helps us stay close with our friends and family. To bring this feeling of co-presence to the Internet, we developed a set of prototypes that enable people to feel more connected by watching web video together in sync. We present the preliminary results of a quantitative usage study and show initial evidence that simultaneous video sharing online can help people feel closer and more connected to their friends and family.