Twitter has been testing and rolling out features to its users at a rapid pace as of late, similar to WhatsApp.
But it’s main focus, away from a new verification system and monetization features, has been Spaces, its take on live chat rooms held within the app or on the web.
It’s Twitter’s ongoing mission to test out new features while still keeping to what the social platform has been about for so long – hosting discussions.
However, while the aim of the feature, and its constant improvements, has been admirable, I wonder if it can hold the momentum for the next 12 months.
Giving users space
For almost thirty years, users on the internet have talked in groups across a variety of places – from chatrooms to forums, to messaging apps like MSN Messenger. Podcasts have also got in on the act, with hosting platforms and shows streaming their live recordings having IIRC chat rooms attached, so the hosts can answer questions toward the end of the episode.
This is where Twitter Spaces comes in, as it creates discussions where hosts and moderators can allow listeners to be part of the conversation as well. t’s kind of like a live radio show with a phone-in.
With Fleets now gone, where you could share content for 24 hours, similar to Instagram Stories, Spaces is replacing the short-lived feature above your Twitter feed so you can listen in to a discussion right away. The recent updates also enable users to be moderators, with the ability to remove participants, manage requests and even have Spaces to host ten speakers now.
making it easier to manage your Space…introducing co-hosting!- hosts have two co-host invites they can send- the table just got bigger: 1 host, 2 co-hosts, and 10 speakers- co-hosts can help invite speakers, manage requests, remove participants, pin Tweets and more! pic.twitter.com/s76JFbhTL2August 5, 2021
A space with a catch
While this feature has been going from strength to strength with constant improvements appearing every month since its debut earlier this year, there’s still a catch with Spaces.
It needs other basic features for it to shine, such as publishing a Spaces to a podcasting platform, and the ability to use it on other devices such as the iPad or gaming consoles.
Streaming services such as Twitch and YouTube have enabled PlayStation and Xbox consoles to host gaming sessions for many years now. Spaces can also shine here, by opening up possibilities for reviews and preview impressions on Spaces as users play a game – Halo Infinite could be a big opportunity for this.
Twitter has its own moment here to really make Spaces the centre of discussion. While Fleets never caught on, Spaces can become its own way of forming opinions and giving the spotlight to other groups that would previously not have the opportunity to in certain topics.
Listeners can become speakers, and in-turn be inspired to host their own Spaces each week about other topics that they’re passionate about as well.
This alone gives Twitter a big opportunity for itself, and could even make the platform fun to use for many users once again.