- X, formerly known as Twitter, is exploring live streaming capabilities as part of its evolution into an "everything app."
- On January 7, 2025, Elon Musk tested this feature by live streaming himself playing a video game for 1 hour and 38 minutes, attracting significant viewer engagement.
- X's entry into live streaming could challenge platforms like Twitch and YouTube as viewers actively participated during Musk's stream, indicating strong interest in X's new feature.
Elon Musk’s vision for X as an all-encompassing “everything app” is becoming clearer with the platform’s latest experiment: live streaming. This development positions X to compete with established live streaming platforms such as Amazon's Twitch and Google's YouTube. The interactive nature of Musk's stream, where he engaged with viewers in real-time, showcased X's potential to offer a seamless live streaming experience.
The evolution of social media platforms into multifaceted applications reflects a broader trend in the tech industry. Platforms are increasingly integrating diverse functionalities to enhance user engagement and capture a wider audience.
For instance, Instagram, initially a photo-sharing app, expanded to include video sharing and stories, features that have become central to its user experience. X’s pivot to live streaming reflects a broader industry trend where platforms seek to retain users by offering diverse functionalities.
For African users, the implications are vast. The continent has witnessed a surge in mobile telecommunications over the past two decades, enabling innovations and increasing accessibility to digital platforms. With increasing Internet penetration and mobile usage across the continent, platforms like X are well-positioned to revolutionise digital content creation and consumption.
In line with its transformation into an "everything app," X has introduced several features to enhance user experience. In January 2024, X launched audio and video calling capabilities for Android users. This feature allows all Android users to receive calls, while only paid users can initiate them, following an app update. Users can manage call preferences through settings, choosing who can call them, thereby enhancing privacy and control.
X's foray into live streaming, exemplified by Musk's gaming session, underscores the platform's commitment to innovation and adaptation in the rapidly evolving social media landscape. For African users, this could mean greater access to diverse content and new avenues for digital engagement, aligning with the continent's ongoing digital transformation.
While the potential is immense, challenges remain. Data costs and accessibility continue to be barriers for many African users. Additionally, concerns about content moderation and data privacy need to be addressed as X scales its offerings. Ensuring robust regulatory frameworks and fostering collaborations between tech companies and governments will be critical to overcoming these hurdles.
As X continues to develop its live streaming capabilities, it will be crucial to monitor how these changes impact user engagement and the broader social media ecosystem, both globally and within Africa.
