Read a tweet. Tap on the one it quotes. Repeat. This is how quote tweet threads come alive. A phenomenon convenient for mobile users with the capability of holding your attention awhile is interesting indeed!
A tweet can go a long way. Cutting through boundaries, both physical and virtual, they make their own space and stories. Sure, you can re-tweet or tweet your thoughts to the original one, but there is something about a quote tweet that no other way can beat. It's a chain reaction like no other. Let's dwell on these a bit more, shall we?
You may have come across a tweet like this while scrolling on Twitter:
“You’re a Gujarati? You don’t look like one!”
— Tushar (@tushar) March 30, 2019
“Yeah, I just opened dabba of thepla and Dhoklas in my flight to Amerika and forgot to eat my Malaysian Mushrooms before I started playing Dandia with Muku!” https://t.co/QnAdbqlzKy
Upon tapping/clicking on the quoted tweet, you would find a similar loop ahead:
"You are a Haryanvi? You don't look like one!"
— Hemant Gaule (@hemantgaule) March 30, 2019
"Yeah I left my लट्ठ and पगड़ी back in my Fortuner. Let me go grab those and a लस्सी real quick and let's go beat some people up." https://t.co/ax9s5F527K
Some short-lived, while others going on for more than 10 consecutive such tweets, the phenomenon is quite an interesting one!
Hi, I’m a girl in a Hindi movie. And look my hair, my clothes, my lips, my bobs, vagine, backside, frontside, legs, shoulder, neck, thighs, fingers, eyes, knees, frontside, backside, bobs, vagine... https://t.co/9QOLjFPsz3
— Ishq Meera (@MeeMeera) January 5, 2019
What's cooking?
What makes these tweets interesting is that they keep you hooked. They are much like the infamous nesting dolls, each enclosing another. You keep tapping to consume more of them until you either get tired or the chain of tweets come to end due to whatever reason.
If one were to consider these popular, it would also reflect that Twitterverse is more accepting of using the platform on mobile. If you were to open each tweet on a desktop, it would open as a new page, making the process tedious and presumably less fun.
Is this a new thing?
The phenomenon is not new. There are plenty of examples on the platform where people quote each other's tweet even when they are primarily replying to the person who they just quoted. The second reply in the conversation is again a quoted tweet and the cycle continues. Thinking of fights between popular people and politicos? You recall right!
All don't follow the same chain though, do they?
That is the beauty of this chain-reaction. They don't. Often, you would find that new meanings emerge. This one went from the names of countries to places in a city, and eventually trickled down to spaces within the house! The social media tweet is gold, no?
I’ve been to
— meera (but like, the online version) (@hiranimeera) April 1, 2019
Borivali
Kandivali
Malad
Goregaon
Jogeshwari
Andheri
Vile Parle
Santacruz
Bandra
Dadar
Lower Parel
Charni Road
Marine Lines
Churchgate
Ghatkopar https://t.co/a44939R0Zp
I've been to
— Eesha چوکیدار چوتیا ہے۔ ? (@in_my_sanctuary) April 1, 2019
Kitchen
Bedroom
Bathroom
Terrace
Balcony https://t.co/iH919jLZYn
Countries I've been to:
— ☁️ (@lacunaXXV) March 29, 2019
Twitter ?
Snapchat ?
Instagram ?
Netflix ❤️
Bed ???? https://t.co/vaWlGAvr5r
If it sounds good, there must be some glitch, no?
If even one of the tweet in the series is deleted, it affects the entire chain adversely.
Twitter threads be like pic.twitter.com/1aUkAYemC3
— Illogical ?(╹◡╹)? (@IllogicalSheep) March 30, 2019
Nonetheless, we are fans. Are you? Do tell us your thoughts!