Twitter To Follow In Snapchat & Instagram's Footsteps With Introduction Of 'Fleets'- Stories For Twitter

Wire

Twitter To Follow In Snapchat & Instagram’s Footsteps With Introduction Of ‘Fleets’- Stories For Twitter

When it comes to the world of social media, the concept of ephemeral content is very much in trend. What started with Snapchat back in 2012 was copied by Instagram in 2016 and Facebook (and surprisingly WhatsApp) in 2017 and now in 2020, it looks like Twitter is finally hopping on board that train.

That’s right! Twitter is finally getting stories- well, they’re called fleets, but still! Users will now be able to post pictures, videos, text and emojis that only appear in a separate sidescroll timeline above your main timeline for 24 hours before disappearing.

I know what you're thinking: “THIS SOUNDS A LOT LIKE STORIES!”. Yes, there are many similarities with the Stories format that will feel familiar to people. There are also a few intentional differences to make the experience more focused on sharing and seeing people’s thoughts. pic.twitter.com/OaGYZpChcN

— Kayvon Beykpour (@kayvz) March 4, 2020

While users won’t be able to retweet or like a Fleet, they’ll certainly be able to react to it, which in turn will open up a DM conversation, exactly like how Instagram works. The concept, execution and by the looks of things, even design is exactly like how you would imagine it would look like.

“Twitter is for having conversations about what you care about. But, some of you tell us that you’re uncomfortable to tweet because tweets are public, feel permanent, and have public counts (retweets and likes). We want to make it possible for you to have conversations in new ways with less pressure and more control, beyond tweets and direct messages. That’s why starting today in Brazil, we’re testing fleets, a new way to start conversations from your fleeting thoughts.”

Mo Aladham, Twitter group product manager

For anyone who’s familiar with Snapchat or Instagram, the concept will look very familiar and might actually make those who aren’t yet on Twitter but already on Instagram or Snapchat more open to the idea of creating an account. The new feature is currently being tested internally among employees and in Brazil. Should it make it’s way to a worldwide release, perhaps Twitter will finally be able to gain some ground on Instagram.