by Stacy Jackson

December 27, 2022

BIPOC Creators to Launch Twitter Alternative ‘Spill’ for Black, Overlooked ‘Culture Drivers’

Social media users who have previously tweeted their thoughts online may be flying away to new apps.

Two former Twitter employees announced their new Spill app, a new social platform structured as an alternative to Twitter, to offer Black Twitter users a new space for trendsetters and culture drivers.

According to Insider, the two creators are Alphonzo “Phonz” Terrell and DeVaris Brown, who described the platform, which is named for the phrase “spill the tea,” as “a real-time conversational platform that puts culture first.”

“While Spill is for everyone, we are catering to culture drivers who frequently set new trends yet routinely get overlooked and under compensated,” Terrell, who formerly served as Twitter’s global head of social and editorial for three years, tweeted in an announcement about the app. “Yes, we mean Black creators, Queer creators, and a variety of influential voices outside the U.S.”

“Even before I left Twitter, over the last several months, I was just talking to Black female creators, talking to Black queer creators and I’m like, ‘How do you make your money? Is any platform supporting you? Does the idea of Spill interest you?'” Terrell told TechCrunch.

“It’s not a web3 thing,” Terrell said. “But the use of blockchain is for both crediting creators and setting up a model for us to compensate them automatically. If they have a spill that goes viral and we monetize it, it’s really effective.”

According to TechCrunch, the duo bonded over the commonality of being Black employees at Twitter, and with a common vision, they sought to curate a space for Black creators to be highlighted for their influential contributions.

“We’re going to be more intentional and be more accurate around things that will be deemed offensive, because, again, this is our lived experience or learned experience,” Brown, who worked on machine learning as a product manager lead at Twitter said. “It’ll be much more accurate to catch those kinds of things that will detract from the platform that would not lend to creating a safe space for our users and our creators.”

Terrell tweeted his thanks to those who have already supported Spill so far.

Reportedly, the app will be launching in January 2023.


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