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 Many participants agreed that discussion forums are now seen as outdated and unfashionable.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/foros-internet-estan-desapareciendo-porque-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.

I've been on forums for over two decades. The decline started in 2013 for all I remember. But forums will always hold a special place in my heart. It's how I prefer to communicate, and I know many people still share this opinion. Although it's more the older generation who grew up with forums, when Facebook and others didn't exist. We're used to it and we'll always prefer it. Long live forums!

While I don't disagree with this sentiment, I think forums will always have loyal followers who prefer a "community" over a vastly, large network where topics, comments, and users get buried. There's a subreddit/channel/group for about any topic you can imagine, there will be those who want a "toned" down version of a social network or chat service. As mentioned in the OP, forums can often be more organized and you can also style them and organize them in whatever ways you deem convenient for your user base.

 

I use Reddit as a means of browsing and nothing more, but when it comes to engaging, I much prefer the layout and "community" of forums. Discord I use for chit-chat and connections, valuable conversations remain on forums for me. On the other hand, I could never grow accustomed to Facebook and always ended up deleting/disabling my profile. I think Facebook is nice if you've gotten to know many people throughout your life, but I haven't done so considering my primary means of communication has been forums.

 

Overall, I prefer forums over social networks and chat services. I don't think they're necessarily going anywhere, but they may continue to see a decline in use as social networks and chat services find new, interesting ways for people to connect.

I won't disagree that forums are somewhat disappearing and Reddit, Discord and Social Media do seem to be taking over to some extent but many of us who are still using forums and even creating forums have been using forums for the best part of 20 years or more and in most cases, it's how we prefer to communicate, share the things we enjoy and meet new people.

 

As long as there are people on the internet who are loyal to forums, the longer they will stay around, even if they are phasing out somewhat.

Thank you for sharing such a well-thought-out post. It’s a topic that’s been on my mind quite a bit, especially as someone who’s passionate about fostering meaningful online communities.

 

It’s true; forums were once the heart of the internet’s social landscape. There was something genuinely special about how they brought people together around shared interests, with organized conversations that could span years and become valuable resources in their own right.

 

While social platforms like Reddit, Discord, and Facebook groups have definitely changed the game, I don’t believe they’ve replaced the soul of what forums offer. Real-time chats and algorithm-driven feeds have their appeal, but they often lack the structure, depth, and searchability that forums naturally provide. The fleeting nature of Discord conversations and the ever-shifting visibility on Facebook make it hard for meaningful dialogue to stick around, let alone be discovered later.

 

Forums, on the other hand, are digital homes intentionally crafted spaces where every topic has its place. They make it easy to revisit conversations, build archives of knowledge, and create a culture that isn’t driven by trends but by genuine connection. As someone active in forum promotion and management, I’ve seen firsthand how vibrant and resilient these spaces still are, especially when backed by passionate, involved communities.

 

Yes, the landscape has shifted but I don't think that means forums are obsolete. In fact, I’d argue that they’re more important than ever. They offer an alternative to the fast-paced, ad-heavy, and sometimes chaotic nature of modern platforms. They allow us to slow down, engage meaningfully, and actually build something together.

 

So, while platforms like Reddit and Discord have certainly carved out their own space, I truly believe forums still have a future especially when we continue to innovate, adapt, and champion the value they bring.

It's really depressing to see the current landscape of the internet. A discord server cannot replace a forum, and I hoped more people would have realized this by now. Also whenever Reddit is down, good luck trying to get in contact with your community. Forums are still needed, especially in this day and age with content being heavily moderated or corporations could pull the plug on their websites. I have a feeling we'll be seeing a rise of forum use soon since many people have been voicing their concerns about Reddit's moderation recently.

When I first created Blogging Collective (which is now a part of AAF), I promoted in heavily to bloggers on X. More than one of them told me that forums are a thing of the past and if I created a Discord or Slack for it, they would join that instead.

 

I hated to see a response like that. Forums aren't rented space like Slack is.

 

We reply too much on rented space and then when something happens and you lose it, it's a tragedy.

 

I have a group on Facebook that will soon hit 50,000 members. It's real people, too. It's an active group. But it's 100% rented space and while I'll keep maintaining it, I know I can lose it anytime.

I had to come back to this thread because earlier today while I was browsing r/Millenials someone made a post about how they don't like how the current internet is and feel that it's broken and it's all just a ploy to make more money. Many people brought up that they missed the days of message boards. I replied and said that there's still good sites on the internet, you just need to actually look for them these days. I just don't get it, if these people are claiming that they miss the days why not make the effort to find the forums that are still around? Why not drop social media for conversations and get back on forums? I just don't get it lol.

It comes down to the feeling of conformity in how one feels. Why actively go and seek out the answers or community, when I can get it spoon fed to me. Why should I do any of the work as the algorithm provides the information that I didn't know I was even looking for. This is also being fed with the inclusion of Google's AI search results. Why should a person even have to visit the pesky website when Google scrapes the information and gives it to you within the first few lines of the search result.

 

I don't think forums as they were are going to be continuing going forward, we have to make changes in what these communities are going to be. Providing a place that isn't just posting threads and replies but, maybe a hub or something that fosters an actual community that people can't get from places like Reddit or Discord.

Forums totally smoke the bigger Social Media platforms:

• Browsability. On a forum, you can just click into the different organized categories and browse. No search feature is needed, although I've never found a forum without one. Places like FaceBook Groups and Reddit, posts get lost in the Void after a few days, and often, the same topics are re-created.
  
• Community: Forums are usually smaller, and usually very specialized. This forms tight-knit communities. People tend to be more forgiving and less... troll-y on a Forum.
  
• Longevity: Discord may be great at near instant communication, but there's no way to organize the content for long term storage.
  
• Freedom: Sure, forums have rules, but because the community is smaller, indiscretions are tolerated better. You don't have to worry so much about your content being taken down without warning, and/or banned without cause (unless, of course, the Admin is a ----!)
  
• Features: Because forums are typically run by people who have a vested interest to make their corner of the web totally awesome, many forums offer goodies, customization, and other unique things to stand out from the crowd. Furthermore odds are better that if the community requests a feature, it'll be implemented.
  
• Freedom (2): I can't possibly forget not being spammed to death by advertisements and flat out SPAM every other message on forums.
  

 

I'm sure there's more reasons why forums rule over the bigger sites, but this is what I can think up off the top of my head.

It comes down to the feeling of conformity in how one feels. Why actively go and seek out the answers or community, when I can get it spoon fed to me. Why should I do any of the work as the algorithm provides the information that I didn't know I was even looking for. This is also being fed with the inclusion of Google's AI search results. Why should a person even have to visit the pesky website when Google scrapes the information and gives it to you within the first few lines of the search result.

 

I don't think forums as they were are going to be continuing going forward, we have to make changes in what these communities are going to be. Providing a place that isn't just posting threads and replies but, maybe a hub or something that fosters an actual community that people can't get from places like Reddit or Discord.

 

I’m a firm believer that forums aren’t going anywhere. We’ve weathered the MySpace era, the Facebook boom, and now we’re staring down Reddit and Discord. We’ve adapted before, and we can adapt again.

 

 

 

The key difference? Forums have always been about ownership—about community-built spaces where people create, archive, and discuss on their own terms. Reddit and Discord might be louder or faster, but they don’t offer the same kind of depth or sense of permanence.

 

 

 

We can compete. But we have to evolve—build hubs, not just boards. Give people something more than just threads. As a hub, providing blogs, journals, media galleries or ways to integrate video or social content and features that pull people in from other ecosystems and show them that forums can still be their digital home.

 

Even directories have a way to pull users in. It provides resources that Reddit and Discord don’t offer.

 

With AI scraping our content? It’s not technically a death sentence—it’s an opportunity. Every snippet indexed, every quote pulled into a search result is another breadcrumb back to our site. If we’re smart, we can harness that and convert drive-by traffic into loyal members.

 

 

 

The real threat isn’t technology, it’s apathy. The only thing that will kill forums is if forum owners stop being community leaders. If we stop building, stop caring, stop evolving. But if we keep that fire alive, we’re not just surviving, we’re setting the standard.

 

We are the leaders and providers that set the internet standards a long time ago. Without forums, social media wouldn’t exist in its current form.

 

Technically speaking, Bluesky, Twitter, Threads, Reddit, etc are all just a different formats of a forum.

 

Also, with more social media sites implementing ai systems on their apps, I wouldn’t be surprised if we see a shift where users start coming back to online communities.

I just saw a post on Reddit this morning about how some people are missing the old forums. Actually, two posts in three days now. Maybe I fell down a hole or something, but there does seem to be some hope here. Of course, I took the opportunity to promote smaller forums!

I just saw a post on Reddit this morning about how some people are missing the old forums. Actually, two posts in three days now. Maybe I fell down a hole or something, but there does seem to be some hope here. Of course, I took the opportunity to promote smaller forums!

I've been seeing that a lot lately. Still it baffles me again why so many people say they miss them yet they've never disappeared and these people can join so many if they take the time to look for them. :V

I would agree with you at this and as somebody who is an old generation (internet generation) I really dislike it. I find discord completely garbage in comparison to forums because their purpose in general is not what forums do but people still go there. You can't track down what somebody said unless you scroll to the end of the world. There are no topics grouped to know what is what. It is a mess if you want to use discord in such way and it seems new generations love it. Fast communication, just keep it pumping baby and nobody cares what was said anyway.

I've been seeing that a lot lately. Still it baffles me again why so many people say they miss them yet they've never disappeared and these people can join so many if they take the time to look for them. :V

I think it comes down to laziness. Current culture seems to be instant gratification, no work for anything.

 

I would agree with you at this and as somebody who is an old generation (internet generation) I really dislike it. I find discord completely garbage in comparison to forums because their purpose in general is not what forums do but people still go there. You can't track down what somebody said unless you scroll to the end of the world. There are no topics grouped to know what is what. It is a mess if you want to use discord in such way and it seems new generations love it. Fast communication, just keep it pumping baby and nobody cares what was said anyway.

It's a look at me and my life and all the stuff happening in my life, who cares about your life and junk, just look at me! Type of thing, rather than with a forum, I think there's more generosity involved.

Nobody likes Reddit, but it is popular. However, Discord is a threat to forums. I see a lot of servers starting up with similar sections you'd see on forums.

We reply too much on rented space and then when something happens and you lose it, it's a tragedy.

 

I have a group on Facebook that will soon hit 50,000 members. It's real people, too. It's an active group. But it's 100% rented space and while I'll keep maintaining it, I know I can lose it anytime.

This, 100%. Couldn't say it better. It's all rented space, you're at the mercy of the services you're on. Discord, Reddit, Facebook, etc. It's all cool until it's not.

This, 100%. Couldn't say it better. It's all rented space, you're at the mercy of the services you're on. Discord, Reddit, Facebook, etc. It's all cool until it's not.

Exactly. Discord will be monetizing their platform soon since they’re heading to an IPO, so where does that leave those that have channels? They’ll probably head back to forums as those channels may get heavily monetized by the new ceo.

 

A lot of people fail to realize that they don’t own anything on these rented platforms, but they’ll never wake up and smell the coffee until they lose it all & can’t build it back up.

 

It’s a sad reality, but it’s a hard lesson they’ll have to experience first hand for leaving forums in the first place. It’s their loss, not ours.

I just saw a post on Reddit this morning about how some people are missing the old forums. Actually, two posts in three days now. Maybe I fell down a hole or something, but there does seem to be some hope here. Of course, I took the opportunity to promote smaller forums!

I see this all the time on Bluesky and various other platforms. I generally tell them that there’s plenty of forums around and link them to a forum directory. If they miss them, they’ll eventually come back.

One of the main reasons why people are less interested in forums and more interested in social media platforms is forums did not adapt to the changed time. Forums are pretty same like in the early 2000s but people's interest has drastically changed when it comes to consuming content, sharing content and interacting to the content. These days a lot of people like to broadcast content, and forums do not have that feature. People who like to interact with text based content are looking for bigger space and they are not interested in small communities

Nobody likes Reddit, but it is popular. However, Discord is a threat to forums. I see a lot of servers starting up with similar sections you'd see on forums.

Reddit seems to be doing quite well for a lot of people that don't like it, tbh. Discord isn't so much a threat for forums. It's a instant messaging service at its core. With Discord upcoming ipo coming out and more paid features on the horizon, I bet, more people will be coming back to forums. Discord is basically a modern version of "MSN" messenger and AIM chatrooms. That's all it is. It's really not a threat to forums.

 

It may have put a dent in forum's traffic over the years along with Facebook groups and many social media sites over the years, however, forums have been around since the 1980's. I don't see them going anywhere. They will survive and bounce back. Discord's content is also locked down on their servers where forums are indexable and crawable, that is not so much of a threat to an open indexable content system like Forums.

 

 

Users that want to chat quickly with their friends are using Discord, but those that want in depth discussions and deeper conversations are using forums. That's where the line is drawn.

... Discord isn't so much a threat for forums. It's a instant messaging service at its core. With Discord upcoming ipo coming out and more paid features on the horizon, I bet, more people will be coming back to forums. Discord is basically a modern version of "MSN" messenger and AIM chatrooms. That's all it is. It's really not a threat to forums.

 

...

 

Users that want to chat quickly with their friends are using Discord, but those that want in depth discussions and deeper conversations are using forums. That's where the line is drawn.

I agree. Discord is a different fruit, so to say, like an orange, whereas forums are your apples. Both are used for digital/virtual communication, both are fruits, but one is used for more in-depth discussion that's archivable (new word, apparently). Discord gives that instant dopamine gratification hit, whereas forums allow for that enduring endorphin buzz that you get after a long work out.

 

And given the nature of the current economy and people losing their discretionary spending power, anything that's got a paywall attached to it is going to suffer.

I can see why people think Discord has taken the activity from Forums. Lots of big gaming companies that used to have forums shut them down for Discord servers. Facebook groups are more of a threat, and have been for years.