Same story for me as pretty much everyone else here - I discovered HornFans as a freshman and here I am 20ish years later. I was just a kid that fucking loved Longhorn sports, especially football, and wanted to discuss them with other people that felt the same way. From there, as I got older, I grew to appreciate being able to discuss other stuff like pro sports, travel, entertainment, and even news/business/politics with people who I’ve always assumed are a lot like me - Texans, college (UT) educated, 30+, sports fanatics.
I understand that 18 year olds don’t read message boards anymore, and I’ve actually been thinking about that for a while. What I can’t understand - and I’m definitely showing my age here - is where the conversations that drew me in 20 years ago are happening now? Are people really having lengthy, in-depth conversations about sports in the comments of Instagram posts and YouTube videos? I can’t wrap my head around that. Even if that’s true, you’re at the mercy of whatever topic the content creator feels like covering that day. It’s a one way street. How does that build community?