Big Picture

[MD]

It is self evident to me browsing various Alfa forums that there is a marked slow down of posting for all kinds of subjects Alfa owners and would be owners are used to seeing. Banter about modifications, repairs, hopes and dreams that one day this or that model may come into their hands. The shared heart ache of lost opportunities for letting one slip through their fingers.

Why is this so? What is the big picture for this turn down? Is it the fear of the inevitable cross over to E-transport. Abandon all hope now? Is it an all pervasive negativity about internal combustion ownership being an exercise in futility? Is it the complexity of new models discouraging the new generation to take hold of the reigns and foster a close bond with the machine? Is it global instability? Has Alfa Romeo become just a car ?

What is the big driving picture? Help me out here.

[bazzbazz]

Facebook?

[MD]

Agreed it will be a contributor but cannot possibly be the complete answer.

[poohbah]

I'm with Bazz on this - there are a multitude of FB groups for every subset of Alfa owner, or Alfa problem, and responses are generally more likely to be in real time than traditional forums.

[cc]

just the non face bookers left. This forum is a great resource and even a facebooker an enthusiast will join to be able to search a topic.
A measure of decline would be declining new memberships annually.
Perhaps the moderator does reports on new annual member numbers?
Mind you we are an ageing cohort, looking around at the annual alfesta..
lots of grey hair. Perhaps we are dying out and one day there will be just one old school alfa romeo  on the road
giving the Cinturatos or P7's a work out : )

[poohbah]

I reckon a lot of the forum members are also on FB (like me), and vice versa - an iron in every fire so to speak.

No reason they can't all happily co-exist.

[bazzbazz]

Unfortunately I have no social media presence what so ever.

I mean really, TWIT-er . . . . . the name says it all. 

[Anth73]

I reckon a lot of the forum members are also on FB (like me), and vice versa - an iron in every fire so to speak.

No reason they can't all happily co-exist.

Probably close to the mark on this one. Another factor will be that internet use has largely migrated to mobiles and tablets, instead of your good old PC or laptop. Useability of this forum on your mobile is pretty average and the archaic image size limits further impact this.

[poohbah]

You are spot on about the trend to mobile and tablet, and their compatibility with older PC based forums like this.

Worse, the reality is that even FB and Twitter are also now jurassic "platforms of the past" used mainly by an older demographic. "The Kids" long ago migrated to other more instant media like TikTok, Twitch, Snapchat, Instagram and YouTube. And probably already moving to something else.

As a fella in his mid 50s, I'm an intermittent user of FB and occasionally YouTube. One positive is that Elon has essentially blown up Twitter, so one less to worry about. The rest I really don't get at all.

[GTV-074]

Agree with a lot of the points raised.....

I think its the demographic of the users of this forum. For example, i don't have any social media (FB or Twitter etc.) and tend to post on this site only when i have something to say/add/ask/comment on .... as opposed to some user on sites who just feel the need post daily, telling you which corn flakes they had for breakfast etc.

But yes 100%, the traffic has slowed on this site.

Cheers.

[Alfetta77]

Hi everyone, agree with others thoughts. Like some I am not active on FB etc apart from keeping an eye on cars / parts via my wife's account! As well as online activity have also observed a slowdown in parts for sale on ebay, gumtree and so on. I wonder about the impact of post COVID life rationalisation / burnout / cost of living increases?

[MD]

Taken on board all contributions so far.
I cannot help thinking that we have an Alfa elephant in the room. In the pre Face this Twit that era, the Forum participation was high from essentially two groups that consisted of those who knew their stuff and those who needed to know the same stuff. A lot of Alfa fraternity sharing taking place being central to the proceedings.

Underlining these exchanges was the rear wheel drive car (in the main)of varying engine capacity.

With the choice of Fiat taking new Alfa cars down a FWD road and installing many new features to keep up with the market competition has created a whole diverse range of service complexities that has taken hobbyist work on these cars almost out of reach. As usual, the diehards persist. Fiat is not alone here and many other brands would prefer the dealership to work on the cars alone.

Where in the past I could capably assist either a 105 or a 116 owner to solve a problem, I cannot honestly say that I am as conversant with FWD machinery and therefore the participation rate from me and other members like myself is naturally diminished. A number of FWD owners have also migrated to Forums dedicated to such vehicles taking their participation with them.

If FWD Alfas have put a fork in the road, I cannot wait to see the outcome of the E-Alfas when they hit the scene.

[Craig_m67]

Meh,

I think it's more a generational thing.. cars are just not hip (to be square) anymore.

Should Alfa bring out an EV with Centro (Pininfarina, Bertone Zagato) styling and efficiency and handling to match.. the children may notice.  Until then they're going to stay in their (parents) rooms

$hit got real, it's a new era. I hope you have somewhere to sleep


Thirty five years in IT.. I've no footprint either (other than Alfa).

[poohbah]

I don't really think its FIAT taking Alfa "down the FWD road" that has 'taken hobbyist work on these cars almost out of reach'.

I'd say that is simply down to the incessant advance of technology in all vehicles since since the first iterations of electronic engine management and other control systems came into being.

That said, I was so chuffed with myself at being able to replace the non-functioning LCD infocentre screen in my GTA recently. Though it is positively prehistoric compared with the arrays of control systems, in-car tech and "driver assist" doodads installed in our daily commut-obile Subaru. I wouldn't dare try more myself than checking the oil, coolant and tyres on that ...

[poohbah]

For the hobbyists...

Just collected my new radiator, to go into my '81 GTV.

Significantly bigger and more efficient core, but fits within the original frame. Bit annoyed I forgot to take pics of the old buggered one I removed, to show comparison.