Sharing experiences is key.

Continuing from last time, we introduce the 10 major digital trends of 2018 from the "TOP 10 TRENDS" announced by Kara of Dentsu Aegis Network.

Thanks to digital media, we can now read, watch, or listen to what we like whenever we want.

Live video tends to emphasize participation. While many people check later how many likes or comments their selfie received, when participating in live activities, most people want to enjoy the interaction happening right then and there.

New apps and features have made sharing experiences easier than ever.
The game show app HQ live streams two 15-minute quiz shows daily where viewers can participate. Choosing the wrong answer eliminates you from the game, but you can continue watching the show.

The video chat app "Houseparty" allows multiple friends to join group chats. It seems to be effectively used when friends watch TV shows together or spend time together before bed.

Instagram now allows users to invite friends to their live videos, enabling co-streaming with friends via smartphone.

YouTube's new iOS app, "Uptime," now lets users create viewing rooms to watch videos simultaneously with friends.

Netflix allows users to watch any content anytime, but it's recently focused on creating events around shows. The series "Stranger Things 2," released over Halloween weekend, is estimated to have been watched by 16 million fans during its opening weekend.

Tech companies like Amazon, Netflix, Snapchat, and Facebook are also interested in live sports broadcasting rights. This is because watching live sports offers a shared experience with a large group of friends.

Just as digital media attempts to recreate the collective experiences of analog media and the offline world, we must now consider how to create new experiences or engage people in existing ones. Just as the iPod's rise in personal music listening led to a resurgence in live concerts, the growing popularity of on-demand video might actually increase the number of people visiting movie theaters.