Avatar Integrated Shared Media Experience

A computing device configured to provide a shared media experience in a group comprising two or more users, each user operating a respective computing device and communicatively coupled via a network, the computing device comprising at least one processor, a user interface device, and at least one memory communicatively coupled to said at least one processor, the at least one memory having stored therein computer-executable instructions that, when executed by said at least one processor, cause the system to:

• receive indication of a selected media entity to be shared by the group;
• receive and render data for rendering the selected media entity on the user interface device;
• and
• exchange, with other users of the group, information for avatars and associated avatar emotions, the avatars representing the users of the group and the avatar emotions comprising indications of emotions selected by the users, the avatar emotion information sufficient to allow the computing device to render an animation that conveys the indicated emotion for an associated avatar.

A computer-readable storage medium comprising computer-readable instructions for providing a shared media experience in a group comprising two or more users, each user operating a respective computing device and communicatively coupled via a network, said computer-readable instructions comprising instructions for:

• receiving indication of a selected media entity to be shared by the group and rendering a representation of the selected media entity on a computing device;
• receiving data for rendering the selected media entity and causing the received data to be rendered on a user interface device coupled to the computing device;
• displaying on said user interface device, along with the data for rendering the selected media entity, avatars representing the users of the group, the avatars rendered so as to depict a shared media experience;
• receiving an indication of an emotion and, in response, causing one of the avatars to perform an animation on said user interface device that conveys the selected emotion;
• and
• sending the indication of the emotion to the other users of the group.