Twitter launches its voice-based Spaces feature into beta testing

Twitter has launched an early beta version of its new, Clubhouse-like audio Spaces feature, which will see a small group of users invited to test out the new audio-only, virtual rooms function.

As the company had explained in November, it would be critical to getting safety right in order for people to feel comfortable in these sorts of spaces. That’s a difficult challenge to overcome — particularly for a company like Twitter, which some have argued has overly favored free speech to limit cries of censorship, even when such speech made some afraid to speak up on the platform’s potential for abuse, bullying and cancel culture.

aye we’re live! what up y’all, we're the team behind Spaces––a small experiment focused on the intimacy of the human voice🧵

— Spaces (@TwitterSpaces) December 17, 2020

the human voice can bring a layer of connectivity to twitter through emotion, nuance and empathy often lost in text. we see this with voice tweets & voice dms. sometimes 280 isn't enough, and voice gives people another way to join the conversation.

— Spaces (@TwitterSpaces) December 17, 2020

our new experiment brings people together to connect directly in an intimate, conversational Space.

we imagine the best Spaces to feel like a well hosted dinner party. y’all rolling your eyes, we know. but stay with us!

— Spaces (@TwitterSpaces) December 17, 2020

at a bomb dinner party, you don't need to know everyone to have a great time, but everyone feels comfortable at the table. we wanted Spaces to have that magic feeling too.

— Spaces (@TwitterSpaces) December 17, 2020

so how does this first test version work?

— Spaces (@TwitterSpaces) December 17, 2020

we are giving Spaces to a very small feedback group. people in the group will be able to create Spaces for their followers and other people on twitter to join. they’ll have full control over who can/cannot speak in their space.

— Spaces (@TwitterSpaces) December 17, 2020

Though audio-based social networking is still a relatively new concept, in its current iteration of private mobile-social “spaces,” it’s already been proven difficult to moderate.

There are two ways to create a Space, Twitter says. You can either press and hold the compose button in the lower right corner of the screen, or you can create a Space through the Fleet creation screen by swiping right.