Twitter

Twitter Testing Disappearing Tweets, Should Just Disappear Altogether

In a desperate attempt to stay relevant, Twitter is introducing a new feature called “Fleets.” It allows users to share “fleeting thoughts” that will disappear within a 24-hour time span. Fleets cannot be retweeted, liked, or replied to publicly, but users can still DM you their reactions. (Oh, joy.) The feature is meant to help people feel like they can post their thoughts without fear of negative repercussions. (Yeah, right.)

“People often tell us that they don’t feel comfortable Tweeting because Tweets can be seen and replied to by anybody, feel permanent and performative (how many Likes & Retweets will this get!?),” Kayvon Beykpour, Twitter product lead, tweeted in a thread yesterday. “We’ve been listening to this feedback and working to create new capabilities that address some of the anxieties that hold people back from talking on Twitter.”

Um…holding back? Have Twitter developers ever looked at the social media platform? If you think Twitter users are holding back, you’re obviously following the wrong people. The users we follow could use a little more filter, in fact. If this is holding back, we can only imagine the truth bombs, hate speech, and wildly inappropriate musings people will drop on the social media platform next.

Users in the U.S. won’t get to see how fleets change Twitter (if at all) because the feature is only being tested in Brazil right now. The rest of us will have to do the ol’ tweet-and-delete (like a true coward!) when post-tweet regret comes on strong. But don’t forget, even if you do use fleets, all it takes is one screenshot of that inappropriate missive to ruin your reputation, career, or relationship forever. The internet is written in ink, people. There are no erasers.

What’d be better for us all is if Twitter self-destructed and we returned to keeping our asinine thoughts to ourselves, forever unspoken.

Cover Photo: RapidEye (Getty Images)

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