The Rise and Fall of Forums: Can They Compete with Social Media in 2024?

[Shawn Gossman]

Are forums still relevant in the era of Facebook Groups, Discord, and Reddit?

What do forums offer that social media can’t? What do they lack that social media offers?

Can forums evolve to attract a new generation of users? If so, how?

Discuss, debate, and decide how we forum owners can push through this challenge!

 

[AWS]

Forums will never be what they were. They can still be a haven for the people that get disgruntled with social media. That number is growing daily. I shutdown my accounts almost 2 years ago. Got tired of the spam and mindless drivel in my timeline. Don't get that with forums.

 

[Shawn Gossman]

I definitely haven't shut down my social media accounts as they're useful to my brand and businesses, but I don't use it much for personal use, spending hours and hours swiping through stupid videos.

At least I try not to.

 

[JoelR]

This is an existential question about the future of community building.

If you look at where development efforts are being targeted (and I mean this broadly across all community development, not legacy forums), there is still a market for online communities. But they're consolidating around brand communities, advocate marketing, influencers looking to monetize own audience, etc. This means features such as digital membership, digital access, e-learning, integration with CRMs and newsletters, etc.

 

[JoelR]

That number is growing daily

Sure, but are those users actually going to independent forums or are they simply migrating to new social platforms? Are they actually coming back to forums?

 

[Nomad]

Forums will not die, but I do not think forums will be able to attract new generation of users. If people don't like social media, I don't think they will go to forums, they will go to other social media sites. I believe forums will grow among the intellectuals.

 

[Cpvr]

Sure, but are those users actually going to independent forums or are they simply migrating to new social platforms? Are they actually coming back to forums?

There are countless independent forums out there, with new ones popping up every day. However, unless you’re actively promoting your forum and engaging potential users on social media, it can be challenging to attract new members from those platforms.

 

[Shawn Gossman]

However, unless you’re actively promoting your forum and engaging potential users on social media, it can be challenging to attract new members from those platforms.

You definitely need a community and a following before social media will give you any benefit.