fictional example that i keep seeing happen constantly

dog Today at 14:00

hey check out this cool image! found it online just now

↳ @dog hey check out this cool image

cat Today at 14:01

wow i love it lol!!

↳ @dog hey check out this cool image

wolf Today at 14:04

hehe cool image

↳ @cat wow i love it lol!!

wolf Today at 14:05

i love it too

dragon Today at 14:06

that's cute :3

↳ @dog hey check out this cool image

snep Today at 14:07

this is the best thing i've seen all day

↳ @dog found it online just now

snep Today at 14:20

where do you even find these haha

...

this is a linear conversation. this did not need any replies. none of these posts needed to be replies. you could've just typed it and pressed enter. you do not need to make a response to literally the post right before you a reply

you do not need to ping the person you're replying to

replies are for when the conversation moved on to a different topic but you want to reply to a specific thing someone said 20 minutes ago. they're not for the thing that just happened. stop