Twitter has announced it is trialling a function that will allow users to post thoughts which disappear after 24 hours.
The new feature is called "fleets" and will be viewed by tapping on a user’s avatar, and cannot be liked, retweeted, or replied to publicly.
So far Twitter has been testing the "fleets" in Brazil.
Product lead at Twitter, Kayvon Beykpour, tweeted the news on his own account.
He wrote: "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!?).
"Fleets are a way to share fleeting thoughts. Unlike Tweets, Fleets disappear after 24 hours and don’t get retweets, likes, or public replies – people can only react to your Fleets with DMs."
He added: "I know what you’re thinking: 'This sounds a lot like stories!'. Yes, there are many similarities with the stories format that will feel familiar to people.
"There are also a few intentional differences to make the experience more focused on sharing and seeing people’s thoughts.
"This is a substantial change to Twitter, so we’re excited to learn by testing it (starting with the rollout today in Brazil) and seeing how our customers use it."
The company has not said if and when it will be rolled out globally, but some users have reservations over the new feature.
"We only wanted the edit button #RIPTwitter," wrote one.
Another added: "Twitter doesn't need a story function OR an edit button. Twitter needs folders to organize bookmarks #RIPTwitter."
Some people disagreed, however, with one user posting: "Stories on Twitter? Could be cool."
