Twitter Working On Facebook Stories-Like Feature With Disappearing Tweets

Twitter Fleets is the latest feature that's being tested by the social media company. It's a feature that Twitter competitors Facebook, Instagram, and others have - where a post disappears after 24 hours. Similar to the Stories feature on Facebook, the Twitter Fleets will disappear after 24 hours of being uploaded.

Twitter Fleets Feature

The trials have begun in Brazil, Twitter said in a blog post. "Starting today in Brazil, we're testing Fleets, a new way to start conversations from your fleeting thoughts," the post noted. Some aspects of the new feature are strikingly similar to Facebook Stories. Fleets will also show up in a carousel at the top of the home page and will disappear after 24 hours.

Like regular tweets, the Twitter Fleets will also have a limit of 280 characters. There's also an option to add images, videos, and GIFs. However, users won't be able to retweet, like, or publicly reply to the Fleets. Yet, people can reply to Fleets through direct messages, if the direct messages are open.

Twitter says the test runs in Brazil will determine the usability and the success of the new feature and may then bring it to other countries. "People have told us in early research that because Fleets disappear, they feel more willing to share casual, everyday thoughts," the post says. Twitter hopes to target those people who feel comfortable Tweeting to share musings about what's on their mind.

Twitter Fleets May Improve Platform

Twitter, like most other social media platforms, has its share of spam, the spread of misinformation, manipulated media, harassment, and so on. To give users more control over their tweets, Twitter rolled out the 'Hide Replies' feature.

The new feature hopes to make users less anxious about their thoughts and tweets as it disappears after 24 hours. Take for instance the Instagram Stories, it was introduced in 2016 and its popularity has outpaced the main feed. The new Twitter experiment hopes to find similar results.