Stories, just like those on Instagram and Snapchat, entering our Twitter feeds shouldn’t have been a surprise, but we were just as shook as you when we scrolled through our accounts on Nov. 18.
Twitter debuted its new story feature “Fleets” on Nov. 18, which garnered mixed reactions from users.
First, a bit of background: Twitter initially noticed that some netizens were uncomfortable airing their thoughts and racking up retweets and likes in the very public platform. This led a lot of users to leave their tweets saved on draft. Twitter wanted to get rid of this hesitation, while noting that avid users of other platforms have been freely uploading videos or photos with their stories daily, knowing these would disappear from their profiles after 24 hours. Twitter wanted the same vibe.
In a press release, Twitter explained: “To help people feel more comfortable, we’ve been working on a lower pressure way for people to talk about what’s happening. [On Nov. 18], we’re launching Fleets so everyone can easily join the conversation in a new way—with their fleeting thoughts.”
Here’s how it works: Just like stories on other platforms, you can “fleet” a text, upload photos or videos, or share a tweet. Tap the “share” icon on the lower right part of the tweet and press “Share in Fleet.” Once the app takes you to your Fleet, you can add text or emojis in reaction to what you’re sharing. You can see yours and your followers’ Fleets at the top of the home page and if any of your DMs are open, anyone can reply to your Fleets at the bottom of the screen. According to Twitter, stickers and live broadcasting will be available soon.
This new feature was meant to be an easier way to keep in touch with mutuals and start conversations with new people, but this isn’t what every Twitter user wants. Being a space for sharing snappy remarks and random thoughts, Twitter should have updated other features instead, several netizens commented. Among these are the much-awaited edit button, fixing the retweet button and bringing back the star favorite symbol (feel old yet?). While Fleets kicked off at a laggy start, it looks like it’ll be here to stay. Check out our fave reactions from the new update:
Just in case any of you thought that Twitter doesn’t see what we post, we’re adding this here:
Art by Dana Calvo
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