Forums were popular when they were the only option for "social" media on the Internet. Much of that conversation moved into semi-private spaces like Facebook and Discord, and Reddit, by and large, rewards short, quippy, and throwaway discourse over the longer, more "passionate" posts that forums thrived on. This is what I lament the most.

However, niche forums are still very much alive and well. Car forums in particular continue to be extremely popular, especially for enthusiasts. They're great for finding repair guides and advice that are extremely difficult to source otherwise. Shoot, even the Cybertruckies got a new forum that's doing well (though I believe it's from the same crew that owns teslamotorsclub.com, which is also doing well; in fact, I found a great thread on the founding of Tesla that had one of their pitch decks from before the Model S).

Personally, I rely on houstonarchitecture.com to see what's being built in my area. It's not _super_ active --- it's heyday was definitely in the pre-Facebook era --- but new projects still get listed and discussed over.

Definitely don't miss flamewars, though.