If you’re Twitter and you roll out a new feature, you can expect tweets (upon tweets upon tweets) making fun of it. Twitter’s Snark Brigade did not disappoint Tuesday, unleashing a steady stream of jokes and memes in reaction to Twitter’s announcement of Fleets, a new format that lets users share text, photos and videos that vanish after 24 hours.
Tweeted Late Night With Seth Meyers, “Fleets are exactly what Twitter needed!” (Below that line: a “this claim is disputed” warning message.)
Fleets are exactly what Twitter needed!
!⃝ 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗰𝗹𝗮𝗶𝗺 𝗶𝘀 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗽𝘂𝘁𝗲𝗱
— Late Night with Seth Meyers (@LateNightSeth) November 17, 2020
Entertain your brain with the coolest news from streaming to superheroes, memes to video games.
As my colleague Queenie Wong reports, Fleets represent Twitter’s attempt to capitalize on the social media trend toward more ephemeral content that started after Snapchat introduced Stories, a format that’s been copied by other sites including Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.
“I keep opening my Twitter, then closing it, because I think it’s Instagram,” one Twitter user wrote.
I keep opening my Twitter then closing it, because I think its Instagram. #Fleets
— Andrew Ghai (@AndrewGhai) November 17, 2020
Part of the humor came from the label Fleet, also the name of a line of enemas. Asked one Twitter user, “Were the people who work at Twitter too young to know Fleets is an enema?” No, they were not, the Twitter communications team assured the world.
But the feature’s name didn’t evoke intestinal images for everyone. “I keep reading fleets as feets,” another Twitter user observed.
seething over the fact that they went with something as dumb as “fleets” instead of carrying on the bird theme and calling them “chirps”
— sloane (sîpihkopiyesîs) (@cottoncandaddy) November 17, 2020
Aside from the jokes about the name (and very existence) of Fleets, Fleet-ing tweeting Tuesday also focused on trying to understand what the stories are, exactly, and when and how to use them.
Ok I’m confused what are Fleets?
— Isaac Ludington 🏳️🌈 (@IsaacLudington) November 17, 2020
Fleets or Tweets? I like you people but I am tired and confused. I just want to see your cats, furniture, books, jokes, cool articles, and pictures of pretty things. This is too much choice
— Lindsay Goldwert (@lindsaygoldwert) November 17, 2020
The initial batch of confused fleets are kind of making it all worth it.
— Sam Spratlin (@samspratlin) November 17, 2020
In a blog post, Twitter said global tests of the feature indicated the tool helped people feel more comfortable joining public conversations on the service.
Read more: Twitter rolls out vanishing tweets as it copies Snapchat and Instagram Stories
“Those new to Twitter found Fleets to be an easier way to share what’s on their mind,” the company said. “Because they disappear from view after a day, Fleets helped people feel more comfortable sharing personal and casual thoughts, opinions and feelings.”
And, apparently, sharing cat content.
“Don’t really care for fleets,” one wrote, “but the fact that 90% of the ones I’ve seen so far have cats in them brings me joy.”
Don’t really care for fleets but the fact that 90% of the ones I’ve seen so far have cats in them brings me joy
— Swati (@makkurataichou) November 17, 2020
Wrote another, “430 people saw my fleet wtf I have so much power with Fleets.”
430 people saw my fleet wtf i have so much power with fleets
— erika! (@LAOMEDElA) November 17, 2020
The feature’s debut Tuesday brought its share of complaints about the product, with some people saying the Fleets froze, lagged or made their Twitter crash. “We’re aware of some issues people may be having and are working to fix them,” a Twitter spokesperson said. Twitter didn’t have numbers to share for the first day of Fleeting but suggested that it’s watching the response closely.
“Some of you hating… but we see you Fleeting,” the company tweeted.
