Here's what can happen with missing #Mastodon replies, keeping in mind that there isn't even an indication that replies might be missing:
A: I would never vote for Trump.
B: Would you vote for George Takei?
C: Absolutely I would vote for him!
(User D doesn't see B's reply, and assumes C is enthusiastic about voting for Trump.)
And so on.
I suppose, then, that it's good practice on this system for users to treat every single post they write as potentially standalone, not assuming there will be any context presented to a reader.
As someone else said, avoid pronouns without antecedents, and generally write each post as a complete thought.
I'd agree to an extent.
I wouldn't go so far as saying it's a very bad situation; I think it's less than ideal and something the system should work on improving.
I'd also say changing the way you write is just like any other communication: there are always compromises when meeting others halfway during any engagement.
You know, reading the room.
And heck, it's not the worst thing in the world for a system to encourage more complete thoughts in each bit of content, even if that's more for the benefit of all more than for the author.
But yep, it's something that needs fixing around here.
@volkris If you need to change the way you write to work around foundational system problems, that's a very bad situation.