Do you think internet forums will make a comeback?

[Borealis]

The useful and beloved web forums have been in a very strong decline since smartphones became widespread and internet users got fragmented between many different internet apps and socials, it's a pity because forums were a treasure of knowledge and very helpful communities, reddit is utterly awful (it has been for almost 10 years, nowadays you can't even post, it gets removed in most cases!) and no other app or social network(e.g. telegram) gives you the clear, logical and solid structure of a traditional web forum, so will they make a comeback?

My idea is that in the foreseeable future they won't, old generations switched to other apps and websites and younger generations don't even know what in the hell an internet forum is.

 

[aims]

Certainly. Everything indicates that, in the future, stricter rules will be established on social networks, and the only option will be posting in forums.

 

[Ohana]

I'm part of the younger generation and to me forums are way better than the current social media platforms. If your an artist or like images then there fun but I like reading.

Don't get to read as much on social media platforms. Also unless you know the person in real life then the connections made feel surface level at some point. Especially when deeper discussions aren't as encouraged. I liked reading the comments section the most of social media platforms but comments are meant to be short and sometimes just memes.

I prefer them and forums are a lot more engaging. I haven't felt this engaged in a platform in a while. I think they can make a comeback if more younger people or just people in general get reminded they exist. Its a lot more engaging on a forum that can't be fully recreated on a widespread social media platform because people have their own interests. They're still there and are engaging but its just not the same.

 

[Firetree]

Have you seen how many people have joined WF ... just today !?

 

[Saint]

Have you seen how many people have joined WF ... just today !?

I bet they canceled their Discord nitro subscription and came to hide from ID card/face scan age verification. lol

 

[Aldebaran]

I was thinking about making a post about this... I recently went to an occult message board on what is the most popular social server... wow. I mean just wow. The level of discussion and amount of bad advice I saw there is disheartening. I appreciate this forum even more now.

 

[Thee Nightfool]

Discord has always been trash. Call what's going on lately a "happy little accident" for those who are serious about discussion.

 

[Asteriskos]

I bet they canceled their Discord nitro subscription and came to hide from ID card/face scan age verification. lol

That's some "intrusive" stuff there you mention! Who wouldn't want to get away from that?

Post automatically merged: Today at 7:13 AM

The useful and beloved web forums have been in a very strong decline since smartphones became widespread

I can't imagine anyone who's only internet access is a smart phone, yet increasingly that seems to be standard for many young people today.
Anything less that a "large" tablet or preferably a "large" laptop is doing it the hard way IMO. I'm an engineer and I have a Lot of Tech, so I guess I've been spoiled for some time now. Further more a 26" HDMI monitor and full size "clicky" keyboard are nice. I control cameras and microphones; not the other way around. I think the prevalence of "small" screens can be handy in the "field", but it would SUCK for enjoying a Forum, so yeah unfortunately that's a factor in the decline and fall of the "forum", per se!

Post automatically merged: Today at 7:30 AM

There's some pretty cool forum software available, much open source and freely available. What puzzles me is the seeming lack of individuals that can take that and run with it. Of course, setting it up, hosting it, and maintaining it are the other parts of the equation that complicate new forums starting up, still, it can't be That Daunting!

Post automatically merged: Today at 7:43 AM

I don't think "forums" per se will suddenly "come back" from the present position that I see, for a number of reasons. I've seen "some" interesting "Blogs" that the author can enable comments for those who want to communicate, sadly really good ones aren't real common. As far as new forums go; the tools and tech are there for those that really want to make it happen, to me it really is that simple, IMO, everyone's got one!

 

[Morell]

I can't imagine anyone who's only internet access is a smart phone, yet increasingly that seems to be standard for many young people today.
Anything less that a "large" tablet or preferably a "large" laptop is doing it the hard way IMO. I'm an engineer and I have a Lot of Tech, so I guess I've been spoiled for some time now. Further more a 26" HDMI monitor and full size "clicky" keyboard are nice. I control cameras and microphones; not the other way around. I think the prevalence of "small" screens can be handy in the "field", but it would SUCK for enjoying a Forum, so yeah unfortunately that's a factor in the decline and fall of the "forum", per se!

Agreed. When on travel, I don't carry notebook with me anymore, but only because I bought a BT keyboard and paired it with my phone to allow me to write long texts. Touchscreen is anti-long text technology. F* it. I script videos on that device and want to write books too, you need keyboard for that to be effective.

Forums won't get new high. Everyone is used to the videos way more than to writing and since they come using phones, forums with long texts are difficult for young ones to process. I found pleasure in books only after I left school and it stopped being pushed down my throat, honestly. And that was different generation. Fortunately that is also generalizing and there will always be people who want to read and share more in depth convo.

But miracle like the new huge popularity won't happen. WizardForums is already a miracle, to be honest.

 

[Gatherer]

Personally, I am very grateful for this Forum. It makes information so much more organised than social media or Discord. Especially for a N00b like me. I hope there is a resurgence or at least places like this continue to thrive.

 

[Robert Ramsay]

Discord is great if you want to chat to people. Useless if you actually want to follow a conversation with more than three people in it.

 

[Primal]

Forums are great. You can be anonymous and find very useful information there. Social media is too personal in my opinion. Why on Earth did Facebook employees want to see my ID to unlock a profile? So, as Instagram. So many privacy concerns. Selfie is fine, but ID...?