.. are the forums running out of steam? I've been checking forums at least once a day for over a year now, and participating occasionally. Still, lately it seems like fewer and fewer threads are being started, and the active ones degenerate into off-topic, endless discussions among two or three people.
It's probably me.
I love the three or four people who make long posts on how right they are and how full of shit the other is about something no one else cares about.
.. are the forums running out of steam?
I chalked it up to the time of year.
People are busy doing other things.
I chalked it up to the time of year.
People are busy doing other things.
I first thought that as well last year. Then I started paying attention to thread post dates. Things are indeed getting 'quieter'.
Part of the issue, is that many of the 'regular' posters have died, and along with them, the interesting points of view they had.
Ironically, or depressingly, depending on your POV, the more people rely on AI to create their content, the more they are going to lack (or at the very least, fail to develop) the very social skills required to have an active, varied, considerate, thoughtful and contemplative discourse. And why would they, if all they do is provide prompts to an AI which now, increasingly, does more and more of the 'heavy lifting'.
It's a bit like how the 'companionship robot' is starting to become big business. More and more people simply can't be arsed to expend the effort required to keep an actual human to human relationship going. How fucking dystopian is that...
More and more people simply can't be arsed to expend the effort required to keep an actual human to human relationship going
I heard on the news several times over the recent years that that started with young men staying home during Covid. They built relationships on the internet and after Covid continued to do so. They lost their social skills or drive to be with people. And now people talk to AI as if it was a person. Some guys even fall in love with their AI girlfriend.
But back to the OP, I sure hope the lack of threads/posts is due to the time of year. I really enjoy this forum. Maybe I turned into one of those Covid guys.
Anyone know if the volume of postings on SOL has also slowed down during this time of year?
Anyone know if the volume of postings on SOL has also slowed down during this time of year?
You can do that quite easily yourself, by looking at the thread start dates on every thread as you go back through the forum pages.
Also, it started way before Covid. Covid just exacerbated the situation. For instance, just look at China's Tang Ping issue that is slowing infecting every other country, albeit with societal and regional differences. Incel culture is just a Western take on it, but the results are similar.
Interestingly, in the UK, there has been a lot of discourse over the last couple of years (including before Covid and mainly amongst the education community) about how many children are starting school who are not toilet trained. Apparently it's an issue that's been progressively getting worse. Obviously there are lots of competing theories as to why this is happening from parents having to work longer hours, to parents just not interacting with their spawn (for, again, many varied reasons)...
All these emotionally and educationally stunted children are tomorrows adults.
Parents in the UK seem to be particularly inadequate. Toilet training, cutlery usage, even basic English including name and address - if the parents can't be bothered, they leave it to the school.
And when older kids spend hours on end shut in their bedrooms visiting the darkest corners of the internet without parental supervision, when something goes wrong it's the governments fault - hence the extraterritorial overreach of the Internet Harms bill.
AJ
I first thought that as well last year. Then I started paying attention to thread post dates. Things are indeed getting 'quieter'.
Part of the issue, is that many of the 'regular' posters have died, and along with them, the interesting points of view they had.
I would suspect that the number of younger people seeking written porn dropped in favor of easily available free visual porn. What will attract them are the types of porn not easily available in Pornhub: pedo, BDSM, incest and extreme fetishes not readily available. Those stories then turn off the mainstream.
More and more people simply can't be arsed to expend the effort required to keep an actual human to human relationship going.
The mag in my Saturday paper had a feature on people who have AI boy/girl friends rather than human boy/girl friends. In some cases they even went through AI marriages.
AJ
No, DarkKnight, it is not just you.
And no, it's not 'just the time of the year'.
Consider... As others have mentioned... perhaps folks that might participate are just disgusted with the banality of the discourse and topics that veer from what the subject was to simple inane stupidity?
Two decades ago I 'managed' an internet forum. A constant problem was individuals not creating a new topic but just 'jumped in' with irrelevant points and the once interesting topic disintegrated. Same-o same-o here.
Consider... Perhaps the state of our greater world where authoritarian nat-c's are in ascendance with no real opposition displayed? Maybe that has some folks depressed enough that they have slowed or stopped their interactions with reality outside their immediate control?
Consider... Maybe folks are just damn disgusted by some of those few that frequently do post. Their words strongly suggest that their personalities are simply too ugly to engage with?
Dunno, but since 'political discussions' are verboten, I'll just leave these things for you to ponder.
topics that veer from what the subject
In the twenty odd years that I have been here, that has always been the case. Thread drift is not a recent phenomenon (thank all the deities that spell check exists...).
In the twenty odd years that I have been here, that has always been the case. Thread drift is not a recent phenomenon (thank all the deities that spell check exists...).
In another forum I attend, there is a "Predictions for year". As a joke, one of my annual predictions is: "Thread drift will occur".
Every thread seems to drift into an AI bashing thread (including this one). It appears that no one seems to have anything else to talk about on this forum. Gets boring after a while.
I may not have my stories here anymore, but I'm still (kinda) active on the forums, and I have noticed what you're bringing up.
I am basically a Lurker these days, and sometimes don't even open threads if the title isn't interesting to me…
and sometimes don't even open threads if the title isn't interesting to me…
What's your verdict on the thread title - was it interesting to you?
AJ
One solution is to start posting your own treads in the forums.
I should do that more, myself. However, I try to focus more of my creative energy on writing stories.
I have occasionally posted a thread seeking information about various issues.
I Browse the forums at least once a week, read, and sometimes reply to the topic.
Cheers!
the forum typle of chat is dying.
We haven't talked about the craft of writing in years. Then again, there used to be fights over it.
Then again, there used to be fights over it.
No there wasn't, and if you continue to disagree, I'll black your eye....
No there wasn't, and if you continue to disagree, I'll black your eye....
As long as you just tell and not show.