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Twitter Fleets Shutting Down: What You Need to Know

July 14, 2021
Topics:TC
Twitter Fleets Shutting Down: What You Need to Know

The Sunset of Twitter Fleets

Ephemeral content, such as stories that vanish after a set duration, dominates platforms like Snapchat, Instagram, WhatsApp, and Facebook. However, for Twitter, a similar feature – Fleets – is slated for removal within days. Twitter has officially announced the discontinuation of Fleets, its version of disappearing stories launched just nine months ago, effective August 3rd.

Reasons for the Shutdown

The primary rationale behind this decision is insufficient user engagement. Specifically, the feature failed to attract the less active Twitter users it was initially designed for. Kayvon Beykpour, Twitter’s head of consumer product, indicated the company will focus on developing alternative products, though he didn’t specify if these would incorporate ephemeral elements.

Currently, Spaces, Twitter’s audio-based platform mirroring Clubhouse, shares the same prominent location within the app as Fleets. Following the removal of Fleets, Spaces will occupy this horizontal carousel exclusively.

Potential Feature Reuse

According to a blog post by Ilya Brown, VP of Product, elements developed for Fleets – like the vertical, full-screen advertising format tested as recently as June – may be integrated into other areas of the Twitter application.

An Unsurprising Outcome

This announcement isn’t entirely unexpected. Public discussion surrounding Fleets was largely limited to its initial launch, subsequent updates, or technical issues. The feature lacked significant viral spread or prominent usage by influential users.

Furthermore, the shutdown highlights Twitter’s ongoing challenges in broadening its appeal to a more mainstream audience and in increasing engagement among passive users – those who primarily observe rather than actively participate.

The Initial Hypothesis

When Twitter began testing Fleets in limited markets in March 2020, the assumption was that some users were hesitant to tweet due to the permanence of the platform. The introduction of disappearing posts aimed to encourage greater participation, capitalizing on the popularity of similar features on other social networks. Twitter was, at the time, notably late in adopting a stories format.

Early Promise and Subsequent Disappointment

The initial rollout of Fleets showed promise, evidenced by the service crashing due to high demand upon its global release. However, this initial surge didn’t translate into sustained engagement.

Ultimately, the quiet users Twitter hoped to reach with Fleets showed little interest, and the majority of those posting stories were already active platform participants.

Lack of Transparency

Twitter has not disclosed specific usage statistics for Fleets, declining to provide data when requested.

User Experience Concerns

Several user experience issues remained unresolved. The co-location of Fleets and Spaces raised questions about clarity, potentially foreshadowing Fleets’ demise. Additionally, the algorithm governing content displayed in the Fleets section was unclear.

With thousands of accounts followed by many users, there was no option to specifically follow individuals for their Fleets content, leaving the selection process to Twitter’s algorithms.

Continued Experimentation

Despite this setback, Twitter remains committed to experimentation. Beykpour acknowledged that ambitious projects carry inherent risks, stating that occasional feature shutdowns are a natural consequence of pursuing innovative ideas. He suggested that a lack of such occurrences would indicate insufficient risk-taking.

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