X’s new video Spaces option is now in live testing, with some X Premium subscribers able to launch Spaces chats with video in-stream.
As you can see in this example, posted by DogeDesigner, now, when launching a Spaces session, you can flip the “Enable video” toggle in the set-up, which will then open the Spaces window with your own device video active.
That’ll add another aspect to Spaces discussions, with people able to interact via live video link, which could provide another level of context.
It could also be good for in-the-moment discussions of news events, with the host able to share a live look at whatever is happening, or even a TV news report, and users then able to discuss such in the audio stream. Brands could also showcase new products, production lines, internal insights, etc., and host a Spaces session for fans to engage around such, while industry events could share a stream of what’s happening to let more people join in the discussion.
There’s a range of ways that this could be of value, and it’ll be interesting to see how users adapt to the new Spaces options, and what sorts of engagement we see as a result.
X owner Elon Musk said that video Spaces would be coming soon back in December, and also detailed how video Spaces would work with guests.
“We’re working on adding video to Spaces so that it’ll just be a simple thing where you can turn the video on or off. And then the person who is speaking, the video will switch to them, like a group call or something like that.”
So, theoretically at least, all participants will be able to participate via video link as well, not just the host.
Spaces have become a bigger focus for the app of late, with X reporting that it’s now hosting over 80,000 Spaces chats per day in the app.
Which seems like a lot, but with so many people looking to engage in Spaces (including Musk himself), it makes sense that X would be exploring more ways to facilitate engagement within the option.
Video is a new shift in this sense, and again, it’ll be interesting to see how X users adapt to the new consideration.