Twitter has launched a new feature worldwide called ‘fleets’: tweets that disappear after 24 hours, similar to the stories feature on Snapchat and Instagram. Twitter has previously announced its plan for these ephemeral tweets, dubbed “fleets”, and tested the feature in Brazil, Italy, India, and South Korea.

“Some of you tell us that tweeting is uncomfortable because it feels so public, so permanent, and like there’s so much pressure to rack up retweets and likes,” Twitter’s design director, Joshua Harris, and product manager, Sam Haveson, wrote in a blog post.

“Because they disappear from view after a day, fleets helped people feel more comfortable sharing personal and casual thoughts, opinions, and feelings.”

However, some Twitter users experimenting with the tool said it had created worrying opportunities for online harassment, like allowing unwanted direct messages. It also allows fleet authors to tag people who have blocked them.

Twitter said it was listening to feedback and working on fixes for safety concerns like the blocking issue.

The company says the ephemeral tweets,  are designed to allay the concerns of new users who might be turned off by the public and permanent nature of normal tweets.

Fleets can't be retweeted and they won't have “likes.” People can respond to them, but the replies show up as direct messages to the original tweeter, not as a public response, turning any back-and-forth into a private conversation instead of a public discussion.

Fleets, which include text, photos and videos, will be available at the top of users’ home timelines on Twitter and on the sender’s profile.

Twitter and other major social media companies are under pressure to better police abuses and viral misinformation on their sites. Twitter spokeswoman Liz Kelley said fleets are subject to the same rules as tweets.

Kelley said warnings or labels, which Twitter has started applying to content such as manipulated media and misinformation about civic processes or COVID-19, could be applied to fleets.

Twitter also confirmed it was working on a live audio feature, dubbed ‘Spaces,’ that it aims to test later this year. The feature will allow users to talk in public, group conversations. It has similarities with Clubhouse, a social platform in which users are invited to talk in voice chat rooms.

“Given all of the potential for abuse within audio spaces, we are going to be making it available first to women and historically marginalized communities,” said Kelley.

Source- Reuters

Country- U.S