Twitter testing ‘fleets,’ which disappear after 24 hours

Twitter is testing a new feature called “fleets,” which are intended to disappear after 24 hours, the company announced Wednesday. 

The social media mogul will begin its test this week for Android and iOS users in Brazil, which it designated as one of its “most conversational countries” in a release, but it may expand to other countries depending on the results of the test. 

Fleets, named after their “fleeting” nature, cannot be retweeted, liked or replied to publicly. 

They will appear at the top of the screen once a user clicks another user’s avatar, similar to how Instagram and Facebook stories work. If a user replies to a fleet, the reply will appear as a direct message, similar to responding to an Instagram story. 

Alô alô, testando…
Estamos experimentando uma nova forma de você “pensar alto” no Twitter, sem curtidas, Retweets ou comentários públicos. O nome disso é Fleets. Quer saber do melhor? Eles desaparecem depois de 24 horas. pic.twitter.com/TZEG76zjsA

— Twitter Brasil (@TwitterBrasil) March 4, 2020

Twitter pushed this new feature because users have reported they’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,” the company said in its announcement. “We hope that people who don’t usually feel comfortable Tweeting use Fleets to share musings about what’s on their mind.”

Every day, people come to Twitter to see what’s happening. One of the unique things about Twitter is that “what’s happening” is fueled by people sharing their thoughts openly, through Tweets. But sharing your thoughts publicly can be intimidating!

— Kayvon Beykpour (@kayvz) March 4, 2020

Fleets will be text-first, but users can add videos, GIFs and photos to the post.

Twitter’s announcement has sparked some worry over how politicians and other authorities will be held accountable if they are using the fleet function. The feature comes at a time when social media companies are facing concerns about how they handle misinformation.