[W Forum] 'Ontact' Social Viewing

Although the COVID-19 vaccination rate is rapidly increasing, it is still a time when social distancing is necessary. One interesting aspect of our lives changed by the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic is the rise of ‘Untact’ services that avoid physical contact and ‘Ontact’ services that safely fulfill social needs. While movie theater attendance has sharply declined, the use of online video services such as Wavve, TVING, and Netflix has surged, leading to the release of films like Space Sweepers and Seobok either exclusively online or simultaneously in theaters and online.

A feature reflecting these social needs is the ‘Group Watching’ function in online video services that combines content viewing with social interaction. Netflix’s group watching feature, ‘Netflix TeleParty,’ did not attract much attention when it was first launched in 2016, but traffic surged last year, prompting the addition of multiple servers. Subsequently, overseas online video services such as Amazon Prime Video, Hulu, and Disney Plus also began offering similar features, and domestically, Watcha, TVING, Season, and KakaoTV provide services that allow users to watch content together while chatting. This creates a kind of social exchange space centered on content, where users can share viewing experiences in real-time or asynchronously and enhance the enjoyment of watching.

Of course, watching content together and chatting is not new. In the past, when TVs were not common, neighbors gathered to watch popular dramas together, and it was common for families or friends to watch favorite sports games or dramas together. Also, fans who did not know each other but shared common interests and tastes often gathered at specific times and places to watch movies, dramas, performances, or sports games and connect emotionally. However, due to COVID-19 discouraging social contact, ‘Social Viewing’?sharing content viewing experiences with multiple people?became difficult, increasing the demand for functions that can substitute for this experience online.

Recently, as so-called ‘live broadcasts’ have gained popularity on various platforms, it has become natural for many people to gather online in real-time to share viewing experiences and communicate. However, live broadcasts are content designed with communication between the broadcaster and viewers in mind. In contrast, it is interesting that content with inherent completeness, such as movies, performances, and sports games, which are not originally intended for communication, become subjects of shared viewing experiences and conversation.

According to recent research, users of group watching on online video services feel a sense of social presence and interactivity, experiencing immersion while communicating with others. This positively affects the enjoyment of the content and the bonds formed with fellow viewers. Through online video services, people can watch content individually in their personal spaces without physical contact and participate in chats, experiencing an ‘Ontact’ experience similar to social viewing where people gather in one place to watch together. Developing ways to look into and satisfy these essential needs even in difficult situations is, paradoxically, an unprecedented opportunity that the COVID-19 era has given us.

Choi Se-jung, Professor, Department of Media and Graduate School, Korea University

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.