Elon Musk, the CEO of X (formerly Twitter), has revealed that the social network’s live audio conversation feature, Spaces, will soon be equipped with video capabilities. Musk indicated that X plans to launch the video feature by the end of this year or by early next year.
Key Takeaway
Elon Musk has announced that X will be introducing video functionality to the Spaces feature. This move aims to enhance user engagement and interaction by allowing participants to display their video feeds during live audio conversations.
“From a feature standpoint, we are working on adding video to Spaces,” Musk shared. He further explained that the video option would be a simple toggle, allowing users to turn it on or off at their convenience.
In multi-speaker Spaces sessions, Musk confirmed that the video feed would automatically switch to the participant currently speaking. This functionality is similar to other video conferencing platforms, such as Google Meet, which prioritize the currently active speaker.
Musk highlighted the value of visual cues, stating, “It’s helpful to see people’s body language as they speak… It conveys more information if you can see their face and their body language if they wish to.” The introduction of video in Spaces will provide users with additional means of engaging with their audience directly on the platform, eliminating the need for third-party services.
It’s worth noting that X previously launched a live video broadcasting feature on the platform earlier this year. However, the addition of video to Spaces aligns the social network more closely with other popular live-streaming platforms such as Facebook Live and Instagram Live.
Spaces was initially introduced in 2021 as a direct competitor to Clubhouse, a platform that gained popularity during the COVID-19 pandemic. Since taking over X, Musk has made minimal changes to Spaces, other than rebranding it from Twitter Spaces. With the upcoming video feature, X aims to expand Spaces beyond its audio-only format.
Musk’s announcement regarding the video feature came during a Spaces session where he was joined by controversial figures such as Alex Jones, Andrew Tate, and Vivek Ramaswamy. Notably, Musk had recently reinstated Alex Jones’ account on the platform following a user poll. Alex Jones is known for spreading conspiracies related to the tragic 2012 Sandy Hook school shooting.
