Dan M wrote:
But I'm definitely rooting for old-fashioned forums in this competition, disadvantaged though they may be... facebook groups lend themselves to short posts and replies, not long-form discussions and reports, and with greater ease comes lessened quality, with more people posting questions they could have easily researched, or using the group as a dumping ground for their poor attempts at funny memes.
I can't stand Facebook for those exact reasons. The Algonquin Park Facebook group is a prime example of how useless the platform is to promote meaningful discussion. There are arguments 40 comments long about whether or not one particular fox is the same one that someone else photographed. And everyone pretends to be an expert while actually knowing nothing. People comment without reading full posts or articles and share misinformation indiscriminately. There are a lot of very stupid people on Facebook.
The beauty of Instagram, for me, is that I can filter out the stupid people and follow accounts that post pictures I like and stories I find interesting. It's nothing like a forum and can't really be compared to one, but it's been a great platform for me to share my work. I've met a lot of great people and actual (paid!) writing work through Instagram.
Slightly off-topic, but this is another example of the beauty of incredibly specific forum communities: My dad recently gave me an old Optimus two-burner stove and I was able to determine exactly which model and era it's from by searching on classiccampstoves.com. Forums are THE BEST for niche enthusiasts!