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I've peeped inside some social media apps like reddit, on their gun subforums. And maybe it's because texting on a phone isn't conducive to good writing, but there tends to be nowhere near the level of organized thought, knowledge, and expertise shared in this forum.
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I am, unfortunately, well acquainted with Reddit. A few years back, I was specifically invited by the moderators of their politics forum to debate Shannon Watts. I'd link to the thread, but it no longer exists because the moderators deleted ALL my posts in a fit of pique. It appears a couple of us were expected to present points on behalf of the "gun people," but when it became apparent Watts was losing, the whole thing was shut down.
Despite maintaining the same level of civility and professionalism I strive to present here, I was told by the moderators that I was being divisive and possibly hateful. There was no avenue of appeal.
It's an interesting contrast. It appears the median age on that site is quite low. People love reciting slogans, but there's absolutely no depth to their views. Much of it is difficult to parse because of the t3xt sp34k and such, and the community-moderation model means snarky jabs take precedence over actual knowledge.
One piece of advice the staff here were given from this site's inception was that our job is to separate signal from noise and to ensure actual insight and debate are fostered. I'm proud of the job we've done, but if that's inconsistent with the modern age of
share and like if you think the Lizard People are running the gov't LOL, so be it.
As for the future of the forum, I don't see us going anywhere. I checked the fridge in the break room, and nobody's getting a pink slip any time soon.