[Marshland]

In order to learn a niche subject i think forums are still the way to go since Reddit, Facebook or Discord have horrible archiving systems i feel like. Its difficult to find the information you want without endless bookmarking, google searches and having to ask several people.

I don't know if forums are dying, but I do wonder if forums get an influx of younger people. Each agegroup has their own 'platform' they are used to. Are the current 'forum people' also the ones that used to be on a forum 10 years ago?

[Spooky]

Forums have their place, but they are dying off. Apps like Discord/Telegram are extremely convenient to use and most forums are outdated.
There is definitely plenty of information in troves in a place like SL. Both have there ups & downs.

[mothered]

Are the current 'forum people' also the ones that used to be on a forum 10 years ago?

I've been registered on boards for decades and 10 years ago to date, I still come across a lot of familiar users.

However, many have disappeared Into the ether.

[Lilin]

Yes, unfortunately.

I will be this forum's savior though. (not really)

[Shionari]

I think it's true that forums are overshadowed by mainstream social media. As such, they have way less users. However, as strange as this may sound, I think that, in a way, that makes them superior to platforms like Facebook, Twitter... A smaller community means people can get to know each other better and have more meaningful conversations. Thanks to this advantage that forums have over other platforms, I don't think they will die anytime soon. It's true that they aren't that popular, but it doesn't take too many users to keep a forum alive. Sinisterly is an excellent example of that.

[Oni]

I think it's true that forums are overshadowed by mainstream social media. As such, they have way less users. However, as strange as this may sound, I think that, in a way, that makes them superior to platforms like Facebook, Twitter... A smaller community means people can get to know each other better and have more meaningful conversations. Thanks to this advantage that forums have over other platforms, I don't think they will die anytime soon. It's true that they aren't that popular, but it doesn't take too many users to keep a forum alive. Sinisterly is an excellent example of that.

Couldn't have said it better. Depending who you ask, we've been dying for almost 10 years.

[Shionari]

I think it's true that forums are overshadowed by mainstream social media. As such, they have way less users. However, as strange as this may sound, I think that, in a way, that makes them superior to platforms like Facebook, Twitter... A smaller community means people can get to know each other better and have more meaningful conversations. Thanks to this advantage that forums have over other platforms, I don't think they will die anytime soon. It's true that they aren't that popular, but it doesn't take too many users to keep a forum alive. Sinisterly is an excellent example of that.

Couldn't have said it better. Depending who you ask, we've been dying for almost 10 years.

Oh wow, that is a long time ^^" Well, I am confident this forum will keep "dying" in the next 10 years as well!  

[mothered]

I think it's true that forums are overshadowed by mainstream social media. As such, they have way less users. However, as strange as this may sound, I think that, in a way, that makes them superior to platforms like Facebook, Twitter... A smaller community means people can get to know each other better and have more meaningful conversations. Thanks to this advantage that forums have over other platforms, I don't think they will die anytime soon. It's true that they aren't that popular, but it doesn't take too many users to keep a forum alive. Sinisterly is an excellent example of that.

Very well said.

It also depends on the Individual. For Instance, I've been on the net for a very long time, and have never been Interested In any form of social media, and never will be. No doubt, millions of other users share the same view, hence opt for other gateways of communication - with forums/boards being a significant alternative.

[Jiggly]

I think it's true that forums are overshadowed by mainstream social media. As such, they have way less users. However, as strange as this may sound, I think that, in a way, that makes them superior to platforms like Facebook, Twitter... A smaller community means people can get to know each other better and have more meaningful conversations. Thanks to this advantage that forums have over other platforms, I don't think they will die anytime soon. It's true that they aren't that popular, but it doesn't take too many users to keep a forum alive. Sinisterly is an excellent example of that.

We're also not selling your data. Or tracking you. Or force-feeding an algorithm with 1.4 billions ads. xD It's a very different atmosphere on a forum, to an IM service or social media site.

[Shionari]

I think it's true that forums are overshadowed by mainstream social media. As such, they have way less users. However, as strange as this may sound, I think that, in a way, that makes them superior to platforms like Facebook, Twitter... A smaller community means people can get to know each other better and have more meaningful conversations. Thanks to this advantage that forums have over other platforms, I don't think they will die anytime soon. It's true that they aren't that popular, but it doesn't take too many users to keep a forum alive. Sinisterly is an excellent example of that.

It also depends on the Individual. For Instance, I've been on the net for a very long time, and have never been Interested In any form of social media, and never will be. No doubt, millions of other users share the same view, hence opt for other gateways of communication - with forums/boards being a significant alternative.

That is very true as well. It's the same thing for me; I always found social media platforms to be boring and unattractive, even though everyone around me uses them and seems to love them. Forums are different though. People are always starting interesting conversations and giving their honest opinions, and with everyone sharing all sorts of stuff, from music to books to tutorials to software, it's always a fun place to be in.

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I think it's true that forums are overshadowed by mainstream social media. As such, they have way less users. However, as strange as this may sound, I think that, in a way, that makes them superior to platforms like Facebook, Twitter... A smaller community means people can get to know each other better and have more meaningful conversations. Thanks to this advantage that forums have over other platforms, I don't think they will die anytime soon. It's true that they aren't that popular, but it doesn't take too many users to keep a forum alive. Sinisterly is an excellent example of that.

We're also not selling your data. Or tracking you. Or force-feeding an algorithm with 1.4 billions ads. xD It's a very different atmosphere on a forum, to an IM service or social media site.

I love this point. It's not something I considered at first, but now that I think about it, it really makes me appreciate the value of forums even more  I feel like this just proves that forums exist solely for the purpose of forming a community and allowing its members to interact and share stuff with each other, as opposed to social media, whose primary purpose is making money rather than making a community.