They should have known better.
Twitter is starting to roll out a new disappearing tweet feature. Unfortunately for the social media platform, it chose an interesting name for the feature. While many should be celebrating the idea of tweets that disappear after 24-hours, much like the Stories that are a staple on Instagram and Facebook, many are instead ridiculing Twitter for naming the function “Fleets.”
Many Twitter users felt confused by the announcement expressing either amusement or bewilderment with the title. The reason being, Fleet is a brand of enema that is commonly used by gay men to prepare for anal sex. With that in mind, the tweets practically wrote themselves.
Fleets – like the enema?? #RIPTwitter pic.twitter.com/Lb36Z4c7y7
— 🔥DEFINITELY A BOT🔥 (@prinniedidit) March 5, 2020
https://twitter.com/robmcd85/status/1235348477510660103
Last for 24 hrs? The type of fleets the gays need https://t.co/EGkGPTcebh
— Milton🥵 (@MEHJRR) March 4, 2020
https://twitter.com/Toddmasterson/status/1235272866259562496
I clicked on the trend fleets, wondering why enemas might be trending. Maybe not the best choice of names.
— Donna돈나 🇺🇦 🌻⚾🏈🏒🏀🐶🎞️🎵 (@daffi515) March 4, 2020
Eventually, even Twitter jumped into the fold.
yes we know what fleets means. thanks – gay intern
— Twitter Comms (@TwitterComms) March 4, 2020
Despite the unfortunate name, the company behind Twitter seems to be totally serious about installing the 24-hour tweets feature. In fact, they are currently beta-testing the feature in Brazil.
“[Fleets are] a new way to start conversations from your fleeting thoughts,” wrote Twitter group product manager Mo Aladham in a blog post about the feature.
“People have told us in early research that because Fleets disappear, they feel more willing to share casual, everyday thoughts,” Aladham added. “We hope that people who don’t usually feel comfortable tweeting use Fleets to share musings about what’s on their mind.”
“From the test, we’ll learn how adding a new mode of conversation changes the way you interact and if it allows you to share what you’re thinking more comfortably,” Aladham concluded.
Source: Adweek
