For all the talk about Google+ being a threat to Twitter, here’s something that should be kept in mind: Twitter is highly addictive.

No matter how much personal discipline you may have, and no matter how much you may claim Twitter is simply a tool, the most active users are addicted to Twitter. How else to explain the flurry of tweets day and night, weekday and weekend. They tweet during during meetings, watching TV, eating, during sports games, movies and concerts, and while waiting around.

A perfect illustration of Twitter addiction popped up yesterday afternoon (Yes, I realize being on Twitter on a Sunday afternoon is not a good sign!) with this tweet:

“Hey all, I’ve decided to leave Twitter for a while to get a break, so this will be my last tweet until tomorrow”.

Upon reading it, I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. On one hand, it’s funny because the immediate impression is the user has made a major decision to step away from Twitter for an extended period of time. Then, you realize he’s talking about less than 24 hours – but probably less. That’s not a break; that’s a pause in the action to catch your breath!

You see, that’s the underlying appeal of Twitter for the 10% to 15% of hard-core users who drive a vast majority of the activity. They’re addicted to Twitter, and have little way or inclination to control their fascination, obsession or use.

Twitter is a never-ending parade of 140-character goodness. The tweets keep on coming so there is likely something interesting or entertaining to see if you stick around long enough or visit frequently.

Twitter doesn’t take a lot of effort because everything is bite-sized. In many ways, it’s the perfect digital form factor for a fast-paced, multi-tasking, attention-deficit world.

I’m not suggesting Google+ doesn’t have appeal but it’s a different beast than Twitter. Sure, there will be some people who may might Google+ more interesting or valuable but there’s something about Twitter that needs the core need of the enthusiastic digital user.