With all of the competition between Facebook/Instagram and Snapchat, Tumblr hasn’t really been on our social media radar lately. However, it looks like the microblogging social network wants to change that, as it has just released a new video viewing app called Cabana.
What Is It?
Cabana’s slogan, “Hang out, watch stuff,” sums up the app pretty well. Cabana allows you to simultaneously watch videos and video chat with up to five of your friends in real time. You can browse through YouTube videos within the app and share them with your friends in hangout “rooms”. Then you can all watch the video together and share your real-time reactions via video chat. Tumblr has already made the iOS version available for download and will release the Android version in May.
https://giphy.com/gifs/app-stuff-ZZtVhshLrVzhe
Is It Anything Special?
There are similar “co-watching” apps already out there like YouTube’s Uptime. However, Cabana is unique in that reactions are shared via real-time video chat instead of text chat. The app may eventually distinguish itself further, as Tumblr hints that it will add more features in the future. Interestingly, Cabana works completely independently of the original Tumblr platform, but integration of the apps seems to be a likely step later down the road.
It looks like Cabana is trying to capitalize on the popularity of in-the-moment sharing, a digital shift spearheaded by tools like Facebook Live, Periscope, and Snapchat/Instagram/Facebook Stories. Honestly, the app in its current form doesn’t contribute anything revolutionary to this realm. Regardless, we’re excited to see where Tumblr goes as it fights to retain relevancy in the ever-evolving social media landscape.
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