Twitter rolls out 'Fleets,' tweets that disappear after 24 hours

Twitter is officially rolling out a feature for tweets that are even more disposable than usual.

The company beginning on Tuesday is globally launching "Fleets," its new feature for "fleeting thoughts" that disappear after 24 hours, Variety reports.

In a blog post, Twitter described Fleets as a solution for those who feel that regular tweeting is "uncomfortable because it feels so public, so permanent, and like there's so much pressure to rack up retweets and likes." Fleets, on the other hand, are a "lower pressure way for people to talk about what's happening" and share "momentary thoughts," Twitter said. They can't be liked or retweeted, nor can they receive public replies, CNN notes.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

Twitter had previously been testing Fleets in some countries, and the company said it found they "helped people feel more comfortable sharing personal and casual thoughts, opinions, and feelings." In addition to text, Fleets can also include photos and videos, and by disappearing after 24 hours, they can function like Snapchat Stories.

This is the latest major new feature from Twitter after the platform previously began rolling out "voice tweets," and according to Variety, Twitter is also testing "live audio 'spaces' that let small groups of people talk privately with each other in real time." But The New York Times notes that "in shifting toward more private communications, Twitter will have to strike a balance between monitoring and limiting abusive content with the privacy of its users."