Reddit announced new features for its live audio product on Wednesday, indicating that the social media site is experimenting with providing members more options to communicate about various topics.
Reddit Talk, the company’s live audio chat tool, was launched over a year ago in April, and it might become public in March. As part of a test, Reddit will now feature live audio chats at the top of home feeds. Users may find it easier to find live audio chats with this functionality. On the web version of the social media network, users will be able to listen to recordings of Reddit Talks and participate in chats.
See Also: UC Berkeley Loses CRISPR Gene-Editing Patent Case
During a live audio discussion, company’s Talk users will be able to use text and emojis as well. During the coronavirus epidemic in 2020, people began to separate themselves from their family and friends, which led to the growth of live audio chatting. Following the success of the social audio app Clubhouse, big tech companies such as Reddit, Facebook, Twitter, Discord, and Spotify have launched their own live audio offerings.
The popularity of live audio has made it more difficult for social media platforms to moderate content such as coronavirus disinformation and hate speech. The Washington Post revealed in December that Twitter didn’t police its live audio chats because it doesn’t have a method to check audio in real-time, despite the fact that Taliban supporters, white racists, and anti-vaccine activists have used the tool. Anti-vaccine information has also been found in the Clubhouse.
Because of worries about content moderation, Reddit only enables moderators in specific communities to initiate a live audio conversation. Outside of moderators, Rathschmidt said there are no plans to extend the live audio feature to other Reddit users, but “it’s not out of the realm of possibility.”
Reddit has refused to reveal the number of individuals who use its live audio service. Reddit, on the other hand, has witnessed a more than 250 percent increase in daily active listeners of Reddit Talk in the previous three months, according to the firm.
