The internet is abuzz with a newly launched feature that may just change the way we speak to each other online: 14 years after the bite-sized method of communication we now know as the ‘tweet’ first came into existence, revolutionizing our model for what it means to read, write, and connect on the web, you can now tweet your voice.
Twitter is one of the most popular social media platforms to ever exist. Since its arrival in 2006, the website has irreversibly shaped the way we chronicle and consume current events, engage with celebrities and popular culture, and start conversations ourselves.
In this article
- How to Tweet Your Voice on Twitter
- How to Play Back Voice Tweets on Twitter
- Why Do Voice Tweets Matter?
- The Power of the Human Voice
While Twitter has long been held up as a platform that’s figuratively enabled millions of people to have a voice, the service just unveiled a feature that will literally allow its users to get their voices heard. As Twitter officially announced, via none other than a tweet: “You can Tweet a Tweet. But now you can Tweet your voice!”
How to Tweet Your Voice on Twitter
Tweeting your voice on Twitter using the platform’s new voice tweet feature is easy and intuitive. Here’s how to tweet your voice:
1. Open the tweet composer just like you would if you were about to craft a standard text Tweet.
2. If the feature has been enabled for your account, you will notice a new wavelength icon that has been integrated at the bottom of the tweet composer.
Image: Twitter
3. Tap the new wavelength icon, and you will be presented with a pop-up screen that displays your profile photo above a record button.
Image: Twitter
4. Tap the record button, speak into your microphone, and Twitter will record your voice.
5. Tap the pause button once you are finished recording your voice.
6. Post your voice tweet:
A single voice tweet is able to contain up to 140 seconds of audio. If your recording lasts longer than 140 seconds, a second voice tweet will be created, and so on. Once you’re finished recording your voice, the stream of 140-second voice tweets will automatically be configured and posted as a thread.
It’s worth noting that the voice tweet feature is in the process of being gradually rolled out for iOS users. If you are an iOS user and the voice Tweet feature has not currently been made available to you, then it should be soon.
How to Play Back Voice Tweets on Twitter
Listening to voice tweets is much the same as reading regular text tweets. When an account you follow tweets or retweets a voice tweet, it will appear directly in your timeline amongst other text tweets.
Image: Twitter
To play a voice tweet, you simply have to tap on the image. Once you do, a new window will be docked at the bottom of your screen, so that you can listen to, pause, and resume the voice tweet while you continue to scroll through the rest of your timeline.
Why Do Voice Tweets Matter?
Since Twitter is a dominant social media platform with millions and millions of users—including a vast proportion of global organizations and public figures—the platform’s capabilities and limitations have amplified and restricted the messages we share and the information we disseminate.
For the first several years of its existence, tweets were restricted to 140 characters, which forced users to be more succinct and direct with their word choice. In 2017, when Twitter doubled the character count to 280, the scope of the conversations enabled by the platform flourished, and ultimately impacted the way we communicate.
With the introduction of voice tweets, Twitter users now have the opportunity to tap into the emotionally-resonant power of the human voice. As Twitter articulated in their initial voice tweet product announcement, “there’s a lot that can be left unsaid or uninterpreted using text.” There is a whole additional layer of expression that cannot be communicated through text in the same vein that it can be communicated using the human voice.
The Power of the Human Voice
The human voice is one of the strongest tools that we, as human beings, have to communicate a message. The sound of the human voice instantly resonates with everybody whose ears it reaches. Twitter’s new voice tweet feature offers an entirely new range of capabilities for users who want to recount an experience, tell a joke, share their story, or make their voice heard.
As the voice tweet feature is gradually rolled out and becomes more widely used, it is very likely that we will begin to see voice tweets being harnessed as a robust medium for audio advertising campaigns, cutting-edge journalistic endeavors, talent showcases, experimental storytelling, and more.
As a voice actor, this 140-second audio format may turn out to be an optimal avenue for demonstrating your vocal expertise and promoting your voice over business through social media.
As a creative producer, you can leverage this burgeoning tool to deliver condensed messages and bite-sized content to your audiences across one of the biggest social channels ever. To do this, you’ll need to scout professional voice actors who can pull off crisp, pristine reads and serve as your company spokesperson.
What do you think of Twitter’s new voice tweet feature? How do you plan to tweet your voice? Let us know in the comments!
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