What the FAQ: What is Twitter Spaces and why has it got netizens confused?

In February, social media giant Twitter announced that it would go live with a new platform, Spaces. The new feature offers users a way to have live audio conversations while they are online. Following the launch, Twitter users have resorted to memes and witty posts about how clueless they are about its features. We take a look at what led to the feature being launched and exactly how you can use it.

What is Spaces?

On Spaces, Twitter users can find a live audio chatroom that can hold a variety of conversations from entertainment to current affairs. Each Space or chatroom is created by a host who can initiate it by long-pressing their Tweet compose button on their home page. Anyone can join in on these public pages and hosts have the option of inviting like-minded Twitter users through direct messages or a personal invite.

At any given time, up to 11 people have the option of speaking with the host having the option of granting or revoking the option of speaking. When a user is ready, they can tap the ‘Start Your Space’ option to turn their mic on. Other users have the option of requesting the mic or reading the captions of each given speaker. Twitter also allows you to add or edit a description to each individual space.

Where did the idea come from?

The announcement is in direct response to the success of Club House, a new social media site that offers voice-based communication. Earlier in the year, it was reported that Twitter Inc had held talks to potentially acquire the new platform. In response to the same, Facebook has also introduced a feature called Hotline which offers a number of similar features. This is expected to be a major move towards popularising audio-based social media communication.

How did Indian Twitteratis react?

When the feature was first introduced, Twitter users were clueless about the features it offered. Indian accounts reacted with memes and hilarious Tweets that expressed their inability to understand the need to switch to an audio medium. Some responded with comments about how the feature was confusing to introverts who used it to not speak to people in real-time. There are also hilarious observations about listening in on conversations in different parts of the country.