Are forums still the thing?

[Darthmaul]

Do you think with all the social networking sites, forums still have a chance? Do you go to social nets more than forums? Do you go to them more than your own forums? Do forums offer something else that social nets do not offer at the moment, in your opinion?

 

[Maya]

What a surprise people were still asking the same question back in 2011 when social media were very big and AI wasn't a thing. People are still asking the same if forums are the thing.

 

[Shawn Gossman]

I think forums are still a thing for people who like forums.

But for new generations of people? No. Forums are not their thing and something tells me most of the newer generations of people don't even really know what forums are.

They were born on social media and apps on their phones. Forum software isn't very phone friendly. Sure, it's responsive but it's easier to use on a Desktop than mobile that makes the forum Desktop-first.

I don't think we can convince young people to use forums, either.

But all of us old school forum users love it. We know how nice they are. We don't want constant social media brain rot. But we're a dying generation.

When we're all gone - what will forums look like then?

 

[Cory]

@Shawn Gossman makes some very valid points. It seems like most people who use forums are from the days when their upbringing involved using message boards. Generation by generation, people become attracted to the "thing" that the current generation gives most attention to. It seems like forums would be a dying breed because of this, but we honestly don't know what the future of forums is.

Forum software isn't very phone friendly.

Many people don't like Tapatalk, but you have to hand it to them that their app makes it convenient and easy to use to browse forums from mobile devices.

 

[Nomad]

Google search has "forum" category. Why do you think Google introduced this if forums were not a thing.