The microblogging site Twitter on Wednesday released a test of its own version of the “Stories” feature globally, including in India. Called “Fleets”, the function, which acts as a powerful tool to boost engagement on the platform, appears on the top section of the Twitter app, asking people to post pictures, texts, GIFs, and videos as their “fleeting thoughts”.
So twitter is also on the track with WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook with new name of fleets.
— Harshit Agarwal (@1997agarwal) June 10, 2020
Though, the vertical overview of fleets keeps it different from WhatsApp status and Instagram stories.
This is going to increase the user engagement for sure!#fleets #TwitterFleets pic.twitter.com/yzvyZKrMg9
Targeting social networking moghul Jack Dorsey’s Twitter for copying Snapchat, Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp; meme-makers in India are mocking the micro-blogging platform for incorporating a “copied” feature before adding the much awaited “edit” button for published tweets, as Omar Abdullah, the former state chief of India’s Jammu and Kashmir pointed out.
Dear @Twitter I didn’t need #fleets. I don’t miss having a feature like this when I tweet. What I do miss is having the ability to edit small mistekes in tweets that I post without having to delete them & post corrected versions. Thanks muchly #FleetsFeedback
— Omar Abdullah (@OmarAbdullah) June 9, 2020
In hilarious satire, some netizens are now expecting to see the same feature on Microsoft Excel as well.
Year 2022:Ms Excel now supports stories#fleets pic.twitter.com/iublZjgw3q
— Teja (@Rt7778) June 10, 2020
watching people upload the same stories on instagram, facebook and twitter #fleets pic.twitter.com/P2P36uMJtX
— The Daily Hera Pheri Meme Project (@dailyherapheri) June 10, 2020
Twitter recreating the story feature. #fleets pic.twitter.com/3lRtPJGajh
— Sagar (@sagarcasm) June 10, 2020
#fleets
— Rajan Kumar (@rkrajanku) June 10, 2020
Me after seeing---fleets,story,status...🧐🧐 pic.twitter.com/tSxLvXHDxk
Everybody uploading ss of #fleets
— Mohit (@_skull__crusher) June 10, 2020
MeanWhile me :- pic.twitter.com/XUmzvVxb2h
Me after watching 3-4 #fleets pic.twitter.com/xeKNKmtM5P
— 🦋 (@Portaberto) June 10, 2020
Twitter Introduce #fleets but not Introducing Edit Option
— S̷h̷i̷v̷a̷m̷ ✨ HBD Himu 😍 (@Intrepid_SK) June 9, 2020
Public : pic.twitter.com/QeKeQnrEoX
As of now, it remains unclear when the test feature will be rolled out in full capacity for all of Twitter’s over 330 million monthly active users worldwide.
Following Snapchat, Facebook-owned Instagram added the “Stories” feature in 2016 – which is used by over 500 million Instagrammers on a daily basis worldwide. Facebook soon added the same feature on its main app, as well as its instant messaging app – WhatsApp.
Even at the time, Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg was criticised for copying Snapchat’s feature – just like Twitter is being trolled for currently.
Unlike Snapchat, Facebook’s family of apps still does not notify users when somebody included in their social networking circle takes a screenshot – a function that keeps users alerted – and for now it remains unclear if Twitter will incorporate the detail in its “Fleets”.
