Why are online forums becoming less popular

[Dominique]

About 10-15 years ago, online forums were very popular, people used to join forums and participate on the discussions on variety of topics. But these days we don't see a lot active forums. What do you think forums are becoming less popular?

 

[Nomad]

These days people are more interested in broadcasting content or consuming broadcasted content. Forums lack this feature.

 

[koyala]

I don't have a lot of experience with online forums, I I don't think forums are becoming less populars. Reddit is one if the most popular discussion platforms on the Internet. It might not be as popular as Facebook but it is certainly popular. If you mean a forum like this one becoming less popular, I think the preferences have changed and people want to build online communities in social platforms rather than a self hosted community

 

[dojo]

It's a pretty crazy rollercoaster.

Up until 2024 forums have lost a lot of ground to Facebook and other social media platforms. This is true. With the new tweaks in the Google algorithm and mainly because they are training Gemini on Reddit's huge content database, we now see a revival of forums.

For me, forums are always a good option, as we can easily search and organize content, plus the community feeling you can foster is unmatched.

 

[Nomad]

User generated content have a lot of value, therefore forums will continue to survive. Well, social media have certainly excelled but they are not the platform for meaningful discussion, they are more into broadcasting content, we don't see a good text based content too frequently on social media.

 

[Ja sa bong]

I believe it is all as a result of the impact of social media sites. A lot of people are more comfortable being on social media than doing anything in forums. This have affected how active people are now committed to using forums.

 

[eLdavis]

These days social media now has a lot of features making interactions a lot more fun and easier, so most people prefer social media than forums.

 

[Heatman]

Do you see what's going on in different social media platforms especially Tiktok? It's crazy out there. The attention have shifted heavily to using social media platforms than forums over the years.

 

[Kennysplash]

This is mostly due to the fast rising of different social media platforms. So it is hard to compete with other sites which even pays their users. Forums do not generate income for members.

 

[Deep]

Social media platforms offer quicker interactions and broader reach, making traditional forums feel slower and less engaging for most users.

 

[uptrendfinancialsignal]

I think the influence that social media platforms has changed our nature of interaction through the internet. There was more extensive discussions in forums, but nowadays, with the social media, the way users tend to interact is different

 

[Flower]

The emergence of social media platforms has made forums less popular. Before, forums were the go-to place for so many people but now they hang out more on social media.

 

[samsun56]

The emergence of social media platforms has made forums less popular. Before, forums were the go-to place for so many people but now they hang out more on social media.

This is true, years ago it was the perfect place to interact with people, but since the popularity and normalization of social networks that has been left in the past.

 

[Medical-enthusiast]

It's a pretty crazy rollercoaster.

Up until 2024 forums have lost a lot of ground to Facebook and other social media platforms. This is true. With the new tweaks in the Google algorithm and mainly because they are training Gemini on Reddit's huge content database, we now see a revival of forums.

For me, forums are always a good option, as we can easily search and organize content, plus the community feeling you can foster is unmatched.

I don't think that forums are losing popularity. It is true that social media might have had a negative effect on forums. However, we must realize the fact that majority of the posters on social media are not serious about what they post. That's not the case with members who post on forums. Forum posters engage in real discussions.

In many cases forum posters are also financially compensated for their efforts and hard work. As a result of that, they have to post genuine and authentic content and information on forums.

Having said that, you correctly stated that forums are experiencing a huge revival as well, which is a great news for forum posters. I have been posting on forums for four years as of now.