Social media users increasingly encounter the same video content across multiple platforms—Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, Twitter—leading to frustration and wasted time. While platforms prioritize trending or algorithmically favored content, there's no unified way to track what users have already seen elsewhere. The redundancy makes feeds feel repetitive, diminishing both user experience and engagement with fresh content.

A Cross-Platform Deduplication Tool

One way to address this could be a tool that identifies and manages video content users have already watched on one platform, preventing it from appearing again elsewhere. Here's how it might function:

• Tracking: The tool would monitor videos watched across integrated platforms by reading user activity data (via APIs or browser extensions).
• Synchronization: If a user watches a video on Instagram, the tool flags it in a database so that if the same (or similar) video surfaces on Facebook, it gets hidden or marked "seen."
• User Control: A lightweight browser add-on or mobile app could let users adjust settings—like whitelisting certain creators or manually resetting "watched" tags.

This wouldn’t remove content from platforms but would layer a filter on top of feeds. Advanced versions could use video fingerprinting to catch subtly modified reposts.

Why This Could Work

For users, especially heavy social media consumers, this reduces fatigue and saves time. Platforms might initially resist integration due to data control concerns, but improved user satisfaction could indirectly benefit their metrics. A key hurdle is API access—some platforms restrict third-party tools from reading feed data.

An MVP could start as a browser extension working with just two platforms (e.g., Instagram and Facebook), storing data locally to sidestep privacy worries. Future iterations might integrate machine learning to detect near-duplicate videos or expand to more platforms.

Standing Out from Existing Tools

Current apps like Pocket or Feedly help organize content but don’t actively prevent duplicates. YouTube-focused tools track watch history but lack cross-platform functionality. The gap here is real-time deduplication spanning multiple networks—a feature no existing tool tackles comprehensively.