Instagram has Stories, Facebook has My Day, and now Twitter launched a new feature where you can post ephemeral content that disappears in the course of the day.
Called “Fleets,” Twitter’s new stories feature is indeed fleeting as the sharing feature allows one to share photos, text, or even post tweets that will eventually vanish after 24 hours.
The “Fleets” appear by clicking the messaging bubbles at the top of the timeline and are currently only available for mobile use. The company has yet to disclose any information on their plans for the feature to be available on desktop use.
That thing you didn’t Tweet but wanted to but didn’t but got so close but then were like nah.
We have a place for that now—Fleets!
Rolling out to everyone starting today. pic.twitter.com/auQAHXZMfH
— Twitter (@Twitter) November 17, 2020
Twitter users around the globe will eventually have access to “Fleets” in the coming days and are encouraged by the company to use them in expressing more casual thoughts and feelings without the pressure of saying something profound or collecting likes and retweets.
At its most basic use, Fleets are closely identical with the Stories and My Day features implemented by Instagram, Facebook, and Snapchat. You can share content, respond to the tweets of others, and even post photos and videos and will allow users to see a list of who viewed their Fleets. Live broadcasts and stickers are not yet available on Fleets but Twitter says that they are planning to add these features at some point in the future.
What makes Fleets different from other ephemeral features of Instagram and Facebook is that users cannot like or retweet a fleet and there is no indicator if someone screenshots your fleets.
As of this posting, Twitter is overwhelmed by user demands for Fleets and is encountering technical issues. But Twitter says that Fleets are still evolving, and in the coming weeks will surely include more features for users to enjoy.
/bmjo
