A group audio feature on Twitter where participants have to use their voices is hoped to help civilise discourse on the social media platform.
Twitter Spaces can be set up by any Twitter user, usually with a theme for debate, and open to other Twitter users to join and request to speak.
They have been growing in popularity across the world, with Twitter owner Elon Musk even having participated in some Spaces in recent weeks where he reportedly become involved in a row with a former Twitter employee.
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In Northern Ireland a group which includes former Women’s Coalition MLA Jane Morrice and Excluded NI founder Brian Donaldson, along with Ian O Curnain, Micheal Maloney and Patrick Lohlein, has created a weekly political discussion event using Spaces.
The Bike Shed has hosted discussions with guests in recent months including Alliance MLA Kate Nicholl, journalist David Blevins, former Irish ambassador to the United States Daniel Mulhall, Ulster Unionist Julie Ann Corr Johnson, Conservative peer Lord Moylan and comedian Tadhg Hickey.
The format of each weekly event every Friday includes an interview with the guest before throwing it open for questions, with audiences of up to 140 taking part.
However, the roots of the group go back to November 2021 when they were known as Parodies Does Politics.
In an interview with the PA news agency Mr Donaldson said as “pioneers” of Northern Ireland political Spaces, they learned the hard way to introduce rules and limits to protect guests and ensure a varied discussion.
Twitter has received criticism for occasions of abusive behaviour, with usually anonymous accounts, engaging in threats and harassment.
Female politicians including Alliance Party leader Naomi Long and DUP MP Carla Lockhart are among those who have spoken out against the so-called “trolls” involved in the abuse.
Mr Donaldson said initially their Spaces were “a bit like being in a pub”, and Spaces in general were starting to get a bad name.
Their first guest was Ulster Unionist Party leader Doug Beattie at a Space in December 2021, who stayed for several hours engaging with those involved.
They rebranded as the Bikeshed in July 2022 and started Friday night Spaces.
Mr Donaldson said this move included creating a code of conduct for participants, introduced a time limit of two minutes for speakers and asked those wishing to speak to use the ‘raise their hand’ function.
“We have done a huge amount of learning. The code of conduct was created based on feedback, and for each Space we host there are three tweets about it, announcing it, a reminder tweet and the code of conduct which all those taking part must agree to,” he said.
“Another challenge is maintaining our neutrality as a group. The group includes two guys from the south (of Ireland), two guys from England including a Conservative Party member who opposes Brexit). A lot of our regular participants are from across the world, including France and the US.”
With a lot of ire expressed against the DUP over their anti-Protocol protest which has seen the collapse of Stormont, Mr Donaldson said if Spaces had been around in 2017, Sinn Fein would equally have been criticised for then not taking part in the power sharing government.
Mr Donaldson said the fact that voices are used can change a lot of people’s perceptions of people, citing loyalist activist Moore Holmes as someone who opinions changed about after he took part in a Space.
“I feel that Moore Holmes was regarded as being aggressive, but when he came on to the Space one evening we gave him the floor and he was calm, articulate and factual,” he said.
“People having to use their voices instead of writing a tweet changes the dynamic, it’s almost like meeting them in person, you understand a lot more about what they are saying when you hear them say it instead of crammed into a short tweet.”
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