Voice of London

Taking a chapter out of Snapchat’s book, just like Instagram did only four years ago, comes Twitter with the last to make the additional feature: stories.

Called “fleets” — a hot take on “fleeting moments” mixed with “tweets,” and perhaps a thinly veiled attempt to throw off the scent of copyright — Twitter has added stories in the same manner as the other two leading social media apps. Fleets are photos taken in the moment or from users’ camera rolls and appear as circles at the top of the screen for a 24-hour period.

In what is seen as a feeble attempt to keep up with competitors, Twitter has created something rather unoriginal. Its story feature lags and does not bring anything new to the table. Snapchat, whose photos are taken in the moment, usually offer a glimpse at raw life in real time, while Instagram stories are meant to be polished and edited in post. 

This extension has left Twitter users feeling some type of way, reminiscing on how each platform used to have its own function that the audience would deliberately go on each app for. 

And right on brand, Twitter users were quick to roast the update they so clearly despised:

Instagram’s newest updates have taken a turn for the worse. Instead of fixing bugs or configuring new filters, the digital platform has opted to change the very core of what it means to use Instagram. What was primarily a space used to memorialise photos of friends, family, themselves and sometimes food, Instagram has become the zenith of an influencer’s purpose: a marketplace. Not only does the feed refresh and hide old friends’ posts that have yet to be liked under a separate button, but it’s also replaced the page where likes and follows can be viewed with a shopping tool. Not to mention they have added reels as the centerpiece page in an attempt to have their version of TikTok stay relevant.

As so perfectly summarised by this user, Instagram deserves Twitter trying to dunk on it because IG is trying so hard to become the worst app.

Words: Maelina Hassel | Subbing: Connor O’Halloran