I may be in the minority, but I actually enjoy reading threads on twitter. Whether 4 or 40 tweets or more, the rhythmic, discrete chunks seem to unfold in a very natural way.

@stop I’m more likely to read the entirety of a 40-tweet thread than I am a 40-paragraph article or post. I find this ironic, given Twitter’s roots in brevity and constraint.

@stop Add to this, the ability to like, bookmark, or reply to any given spot (tweet) in the thread makes each piece of that thread a potential branch of discussion, emphasis, or contention.

@stop Some folks are obviously better at threading together tweets than others. Good writing skills and brevity still matter. As does a tolerance for a less-than-ideal writing and composition experience.

@stop There’s something about the forced focus on each individual tweet (paragraph) and the metered delivery that alters the flow of composition and consumption just enough.

@stop I could be wrong (as I left Twitter the company more than 4 years ago now) but I don’t think this thread phenomenon and appeal is entirely intentional.

@stop Like many of the unique features of Twitter we now take for granted, tweet threads seem to be more of an accidental discovery or a redux of outside contributions that Twitter’s product team now recognizes, and is adjusting to more officially support.