Twitter has been showing users fleets profiles that they don’t follow.
According to various users, Twitter is now showing them Fleets from profiles that they don’t follow within their top of timeline Fleets bar, as it looks to maximize take-up of its Stories-like option.
As you can see in this example, posted by user @ehab (and shared by Matt Navarra), Twitter is now highlighting Fleets from profiles outside of your network, by showing them with a grey lightning bolt, invariance to your regular Fleets.
Other users have also complained.
Various users have reported seeing the same, with some noting that these ‘highlight Fleets’ start to appear in your Fleets bar once you’ve viewed all of the latest Fleets from your connections.
Which some don’t seem overly happy with.
I mean, the idea of Fleets is that it provides a more intimate, immediate way to connect – but then again, seeing Fleets from your expanded network, from profiles that, ideally, are related to your interests, could help to expand Fleets usage, and showcase some of the better material on the platform, which could improve engagement.
It could also help to boost Fleets exposure for creators, and give them more ways to connect with potentially interested audiences, which, as a result, could make Fleets a bigger consideration for brands. If your Fleets can now reach many more people, without you having to do anything extra, that’s essentially a free organic reach boost, something that you would normally have to pay to get.
That could see your Fleets stats see a sudden jump, which may raise more eyebrows around Fleets usage.
But then again, it could just annoy people. I guess, so long as Fleets from your connections get priority, it may not be a bad thing. But forced exposure is maybe not ideal. Also, Twitter users have never been particularly open to change. Of any kind.
Still, it’s worth watching, and seeing if you do start to reach new audiences with your Fleets. Not all users are seeing the update as yet, but if you check all of your regular Fleets, you may just start to see a few grey lightning bolt bubbles appearing in your app when you refresh or re-open the app.