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There was a time when discussion forums were the heart of online social networks. Users flocked to forums that matched their interests, creating tight-knit communities where they could connect and engage in meaningful conversations.
However, this dynamic is shifting. The rise of social networks has triggered a significant migration away from traditional forums. Suddenly, participating in a forum became less appealing compared to the allure of Facebook groups with quirky names. If it wasn’t Facebook groups, it was Reddit. And if not Reddit, then Discord.
Everything is a subreddit
The Xataka team members are avid Reddit fans. Reddit is a fantastic platform that enables chatting, discovering, learning, and having fun, all in one place. Yet, it poses a threat to the existence of traditional discussion forums.
The decline of discussion forums is a known issue. A Hacker News user named 'hourago' poignantly commented on this phenomenon a year ago:
What used to be blogs and forums is now Reddit.
Tens of thousands (hundreds of thousands?) of communities that had their own wiki, blog, forum, ... are now reduced to being a Subreddit.
The Internet has become fragile. A service goes down and everyone suffers. If the top 10 services went down most people would think there was no Internet at all.
Email is the last service standing that is much more open than the rest. But the rise of WhatsApp and its equivalents is calling this into question. One day all our communication will depend on a monopoly."
This insightful comment sparked a fascinating debate. Many participants agreed that discussion forums are now seen as outdated and unfashionable.
Instead, we have subreddits, which offer many of the benefits of forums but with a significant downside: they are controlled by a single company that has just gone public and has not always treated its users well. The same applies to Facebook groups and other platforms that have taken over the conversation space. Twitter (now X) allows for interaction but focuses on following people or media, not specific topics or interests.
Discord is the final nail in the coffin:
While Reddit and Facebook groups initiated the decline of forums, Discord is finishing the job. For instance, in 2021, the Eurogamer forum closed, citing changes in communication preferences and the declining popularity of traditional forums.
As Kotaku explained, Discord is very different from a discussion forum. It excels in facilitating real-time conversations and managing multiple chat rooms and voice communications. However, forums were designed for more thoughtful and lasting interactions. Users could take their time to craft responses, creating a sense of permanence. This is something another Reddit user, EmSa1998, highlighted:
One of the benefits of forums is better preservation of 'historical' conversations: unlike subreddits or Discord servers, forums were well divided into sections that were often further divided into subsections. This allowed the most important conversations to stay 'alive' and evolve over years, not disappear like Reddit messages after a few days or the conversation in a big chat that usually lasts hours or minutes before disappearing."
Forums also facilitated easy searching and indexing of topics, a feature that Discord struggles with. Discord's creators recognized this shortcoming and introduced Forum Channels to mimic traditional forums more closely.
However, the problem persists. Conversations on platforms like Discord and Facebook groups are not indexed by Google, effectively locking users in. In contrast, traditional forums are indexed by search engines, making information readily accessible. Reddit respects this aspect, which is why many people add "reddit" to their Google searches to focus results on that platform. The same goes for Stack Exchange, an evolution of the original discussion forums.
The knowledge bases built by diverse communities on these platforms have been invaluable, especially for developers and programmers. The emergence of ChatGPT has further influenced these dynamics, with platforms like Stack Overflow reaching agreements to adapt to new realities.
The concerning trend is that traditional discussion forums are dying, and while alternatives exist, they are different and not necessarily better.
Source: https://www.xataka.com/servicios/fo...que-ahora-todo-reddit-discord-eso-preocupante
What are your thoughts on this? I believe that forums still have a place in today’s internet and they’ll always have a home. I don’t see them going anywhere, but Reddit and Discord both have surely put a dent in some industries.
However, this dynamic is shifting. The rise of social networks has triggered a significant migration away from traditional forums. Suddenly, participating in a forum became less appealing compared to the allure of Facebook groups with quirky names. If it wasn’t Facebook groups, it was Reddit. And if not Reddit, then Discord.
Everything is a subreddit
The Xataka team members are avid Reddit fans. Reddit is a fantastic platform that enables chatting, discovering, learning, and having fun, all in one place. Yet, it poses a threat to the existence of traditional discussion forums.
The decline of discussion forums is a known issue. A Hacker News user named 'hourago' poignantly commented on this phenomenon a year ago:
What used to be blogs and forums is now Reddit.
Tens of thousands (hundreds of thousands?) of communities that had their own wiki, blog, forum, ... are now reduced to being a Subreddit.
The Internet has become fragile. A service goes down and everyone suffers. If the top 10 services went down most people would think there was no Internet at all.
Email is the last service standing that is much more open than the rest. But the rise of WhatsApp and its equivalents is calling this into question. One day all our communication will depend on a monopoly."
This insightful comment sparked a fascinating debate. Many participants agreed that discussion forums are now seen as outdated and unfashionable.
Instead, we have subreddits, which offer many of the benefits of forums but with a significant downside: they are controlled by a single company that has just gone public and has not always treated its users well. The same applies to Facebook groups and other platforms that have taken over the conversation space. Twitter (now X) allows for interaction but focuses on following people or media, not specific topics or interests.
Discord is the final nail in the coffin:
While Reddit and Facebook groups initiated the decline of forums, Discord is finishing the job. For instance, in 2021, the Eurogamer forum closed, citing changes in communication preferences and the declining popularity of traditional forums.
As Kotaku explained, Discord is very different from a discussion forum. It excels in facilitating real-time conversations and managing multiple chat rooms and voice communications. However, forums were designed for more thoughtful and lasting interactions. Users could take their time to craft responses, creating a sense of permanence. This is something another Reddit user, EmSa1998, highlighted:
One of the benefits of forums is better preservation of 'historical' conversations: unlike subreddits or Discord servers, forums were well divided into sections that were often further divided into subsections. This allowed the most important conversations to stay 'alive' and evolve over years, not disappear like Reddit messages after a few days or the conversation in a big chat that usually lasts hours or minutes before disappearing."
Forums also facilitated easy searching and indexing of topics, a feature that Discord struggles with. Discord's creators recognized this shortcoming and introduced Forum Channels to mimic traditional forums more closely.
However, the problem persists. Conversations on platforms like Discord and Facebook groups are not indexed by Google, effectively locking users in. In contrast, traditional forums are indexed by search engines, making information readily accessible. Reddit respects this aspect, which is why many people add "reddit" to their Google searches to focus results on that platform. The same goes for Stack Exchange, an evolution of the original discussion forums.
The knowledge bases built by diverse communities on these platforms have been invaluable, especially for developers and programmers. The emergence of ChatGPT has further influenced these dynamics, with platforms like Stack Overflow reaching agreements to adapt to new realities.
The concerning trend is that traditional discussion forums are dying, and while alternatives exist, they are different and not necessarily better.
Source: https://www.xataka.com/servicios/fo...que-ahora-todo-reddit-discord-eso-preocupante
What are your thoughts on this? I believe that forums still have a place in today’s internet and they’ll always have a home. I don’t see them going anywhere, but Reddit and Discord both have surely put a dent in some industries.
