What the f**k is Spill? : The hottest new app that took Twitter by storm
By Ace Blackwood, HoodooVogue.
Saturday June 1st, 9:20 am
The aroma of coffee awakens the room, blending in with the scent of vanilla incense as I pour in a fragrance of cardamom and tobacco into running bath water. With a yawn and a stretch, I sink into piping hot water, relaxing and easing myself into the early start of the weekend. With an episode of the Bratz playing in the background and after a few prayers of gratitude, I swipe onto Twitter to check in with “the cousins”. A niche micro-internet community I’ve found a place, in which the worlds of Hoodoo, African spirituality, fashion, perfume and culture meet, and clash into various flavours of people of all ages and backgrounds into a perfect cup of espresso.
Except this time, they weren’t there.
Like the bold letters of an eviction notice, I, as well as millions of other Twitter users, read “Rate limit exceeded” at the top of our devices. Turning the app off and on, switching profiles, checking one's own profiles alas, just like jury duty, you couldn’t escape it. Twitter has seen its fair share of crashes, blips and glitches, so no one was quite expecting the announcement that Twitter, like a country in famine, was rationing tweets to “600 per day for unverified accounts.” As your neighbourhood bookworm, that limit is quite easy to reach in a short amount of time. Shrugging it off and assuming it was a silly rumour that would fix itself eventually, I play the next episode of the Bratz and quietly sip on my espresso.
Except it didn’t fix itself.
Hours later, people are buzzing around trying to figure out what's going on and what's the next move. Twitter has been more than a shallow app for social media likes, it's been a platform for independent journalists to report biased-free news, at the forefront of many natural disasters and events of mass casualties, a place where homeless youth have found aid by the public, where many have found jobs and education opportunities, where people find community, family, and much more.
This was shaking things up fast.
Suddenly a notification popped up in my DM’s, by a dear and favoured mutual of mine:
Confused, I ask them what they mean. After a brief introduction on the app and a ticket to get in, I am then and there introduced to the universe of Spill, or should I say:
As an after party to the club, it seems like socialites and curious minds alike were all trickling to that app in numbers. Like anything new, it took me a while to grasp the concept and get used to it, but after a few clicks and laughs, I feel savvy enough to call myself a #Spillionaire.
So what the hell is Spill?
The Spill app is a micro-blogging social media app currently in Beta mode, available to Apple users (Spill confirms via their Twitter account there should soon be availability for Android users.) As it is in its early stages of development, one gains access to the app by an "invite-only code” given to them by an active user of the app. Once registered into the app, one then gains 3 tickets of their own to get friends, mutuals or associates in the club. Might sound a bit much, but I've seen this method used for new apps being rolled out to the public before.
Spill has turned the African-American idiom “Spill the tea” into their own pop-culture world. “Teas” are Likes, “Sipping” who you’re following, and “Serving” is your followers. Your feed of posts by people you follow is called “My Brew” and the feed of trending posts, similar to a “for you page” is called “Fresh Tea”. Users are referred to as “Spillionaires” and the cyber-world of Spill is affectionately referred to by users as “Spill City”. One can also see the trending topics organized in a moving synchronicity similar to a jumbotron, referred to as the “Spillboard”. After you post, or should I say “spill” your tea in 90 characters or less, you’ll know your post is loading as a “your tea is brewing” icon appears on the screen. Charming slang that points to an eye for detail.
After picking my username, filling in my bio and setting my location as “The Runway”, I’m greeted by the first post that I see:
“We really the starting OG’s of Spill. It’s giving Season 1”
That made me laugh the first of many laughs to come. Spill has already been recognized by thousands of users as an app where laughter, familiarity, community and good vibes meet. Even if the app is still in development, many note the platform is already quite promising. Jokes range from calling spill invites “Freedom Papers”, to people referring to the platform as “Negrotopia”. One user writes “Black Twitter headed North. #TheSpillMigration”
But laughter soon settles down into curiosity as I notice users rapidly scramble and organize a search to find people who share their interests. Hashtags such as #AstroSpill, #HoodooSpill, #AnimeSpill, #BookSpill or even #ZaddiesOfSpill tag hundreds of posts. Quickly the app is structured into a multi-web of interests. Under the tag #MusicSpill, I saw people rank their pics for the top greatest Black performers of all time or quote (re-blog) their favourite R&B albums. Under #AnimeSpill I see everyone trying to find new connections by quoting their favorite shows.
I’ve tried my shot at roping people into #PerfumeSpill, by asking people’s favourite fragrances of the moment. The verdict? “French Waltz” by Golf LeFleur. Now added to my “Perfumes to sample list.”
Many praises and few criticisms have glossed over the Spill brand within the last 48 hours. With much to learn about the app’s lore and vision, the developers brilliantly cashed in on a sudden opportunity to be the new supplier to the people’s demand.
In the end, one way I can summarize the experience is by how another user described it:
“Feeling like the first day of school, hair did, wearing a fresh new alfit!”
Until then, catch y’all in the #Spillverse you #Spillionaires!
