Twitter is testing a stories-like feature called fleets but fans are not thrilled

While there may be many social media users out there who would like to see the concept of stories come to Twitter, there are certainly enough who wouldn’t. But to the dismay of such users, Twitter is showing off a new feature under test called fleets. In short, fleets are user updates that last only for 24 hours, just like stories on Facebook and Instagram. A fleet can be made up of text, images, videos, and GIFs but it can’t be retweeted or liked. Twitter is currently testing fleets in Brazil for Android and iOS devices.

“Fleets are a way to share fleeting thoughts. Unlike Tweets, Fleets disappear after 24 hours and don’t get Retweets, Likes, or public replies-- people can only react to your Fleets with DMs,” writes Kayvon Beykpour, the Product Lead for Twitter in a tweet. New fleets from followed users won’t appear on the Twitter timeline but will show up as tiny clickable icons in a dedicated row above it in a manner similar to stories on Facebook and Instagram.

 

Fleets are a way to share fleeting thoughts. Unlike Tweets, Fleets disappear after 24 hours and don’t get Retweets, Likes, or public replies-- people can only react to your Fleets with DMs. Instead of showing up in people’s timelines, Fleets are viewed by tapping on your avatar. pic.twitter.com/sWwsExRLcJ

— Kayvon Beykpour (@kayvz) March 4, 2020

 

When Twitter acquired visual storytelling startup Chroma Labs last month, numerous netizens and reporters predicted that the popular microblogging service would soon try its hand at stories. And sure enough, it has now. Even though Twitter is only testing fleets in Brazil, it’s receiving a lot of backlash from hardcore Twitter fans for trying to introduce the feature. Hundreds of thousands of tweets that were sent out since Beykpour’s announcement bear the hashtag #RIPTwitter as a sign that Twitter has lost its identity in the social media market.

Snapchat was the first platform to offer the concept of stories nearly eight years ago, which involves short-lived user posts consisting of media and filters. Instagram received a similar feature in 2016, while Facebook received it in early 2017. Popular messaging app WhatsApp, too, received a similar feature called status the same year. These Facebook-owned platforms have since been criticised for stealing the idea from Snapchat. If the new fleets feature is released globally, Twitter will be the latest social media platform to feature stories.

 

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