Tweets vs. Fleets?

Twitter recently introduced a new content format -- "Fleets" -- that eerily (strategically?) resembles the "stories" format that Snapchat spearheaded and Instagram so skillfully copied.

According to Twitter, the new format aims to create a more active and safer space for users to express themselves and participate -- especially for those who were "intimidated" by the open and public nature of tweeting in the traditional way.

This is also a strategy to engage the silent "lurkers" on Twitter -- there is a trend of users who prefer to consume content from the more active users, but don't usually contribute to the discussions themselves. A lot of users prefer to passively read tweets and are scared to contribute because of the risk of getting "flamed" publicly.

So essentially, what Twitter is doing is taking the pressure off of the users by making their contributions more transient and "fleeting," lowering the barrier of entry even for the most easily intimidated users.

Whether users really need this feature, only time will show. The truth is, if people did have the intention to make something permanent as part of the "cancel culture," they still have the option to take a screenshot of the "fleet" and share it through permanent tweets instead.

But ultimately, it's up to the users to use -- or abandon -- the feature.