Fleets: A New Way to Share Your Fleeting Thoughts Online
Twitter is a virtual space for conversing, debating, and idea-sharing. Some users, however, have voiced their discomfort with the public, permanent nature of Tweets; others find they invest too much energy into trying to rack up Retweets and Likes. In response, Twitter have introduced Fleets, which are Tweets lasting for a brief period of 24 hours.
Fleets are designed for temporary musings and evanescent thoughts, for comments you might not wish to be permanently accessible to the Twitterverse. In introducing them, Twitter hopes to create a lower pressure environment for conversation. Twitter conducted tests in Brazil, Italy, India, and South Korea and discovered that enabling Fleets sparked more animated, active Twitter conversation. Users felt more comfortable sharing the more intimate happenings of their day-to-day lives, whether it be an awkward story, eccentric idea, or simply a passing thought. Your Fleets will be located at the top of your home timeline so, during their short lifespan, they are visible to anyone who can view your profile.
(Image Creds: Twitter via NBC news)
Twitter revealed more information about Fleets, summarised in the following points:
- You can Fleet text, reactions to Tweets, photos or videos.
- You can customise your fleets with background and text options.
- To share a Tweet in a Fleet, you tap the “Share” icon at the bottom of the Tweet and then tap, “Share in Fleet” (where you can add commentary using text or emojis).
- Soon, stickers and live broadcasting will also be available in Fleets.
Regarding interacting with and replying to Fleets, Twitter shared this information:
- If you want to reply to a Fleet, tap on it to send a Direct Message or emoji reaction to the author.
- Replying or reacting to a Fleet opens a conversation in your Direct Messages.
- Fleet authors can see who views their Fleets, including accounts with protected Tweets, by clicking into their Fleets and tapping on the ‘Seen By’ text at the bottom.
Twitter launched this function on Tuesday, promising that soon everyone globally will have Fleets on Twitter for iOS and Android – get ready to try out this new, ephemeral format.
Finally, for our previous #SocialShort, click here.
