Why do all audio forums on the internet seem "dead" ?

                        !!BIRTH OF AN AUDIOPHILE!!

Good day Gentleman!
let me start of by saying that "I am now an audiophile!"
(applause applause) thank you!

I am a 43 y.o. guy and prior to 4 years ago, "happy" with my then "COOL" 5.1 Denon system with OLD Polk monitor 7's GIVEN to me. and a small DefTec sub!

My new-at-the-time partner (another audiophile) introduced me to "higher end" audio via desktop PC/ mac mini system.
He then took me to one of the very few "high-end" stores in our area. The owner, actually a female!!! was sooo nice and helpful. She actually listened to what I like and how i like to listen and my living room. Basically giving me an "audio interview" what I liked / didn't like about my current setup at the time.

AAAAnnnyywayyzz, after looking around the store and listening to many WONDERFUL things over the course of 3 days.
She actually offered to send me home with what she and another very helpful employee (not a salesman) about 8k in Simaudio/ Focal gear with all the wires, plugs, interconnects ect ect. she just started "throwing" things to me to take home and demo to see how I liked it in my house. 

Needless to say, I DID NOT RETURN IT!!, I made several modest payments, (at 10% off) no interest or charges.
anyway, a few years later and many upgrades later, I am in my system for more $$$$$ that I care to admit, and wouldn't tell anyone how much i have wrapped up in such a depreciating "asset"
it's embarrasing I must admit!
(My current setup is in my profile thing)

as for the future, I am "good for now" as to upgrade at this point would be diminishing returns as I live life by a "bang for the buck" mentality.

Now, I don't know if I would be considered "old" by the age of average audiophiles.. BUT most of my friends are younger thAn (not thEn) me.
Neither them, my family, or people I work with have any interest in music or quality beyond streaming or the radio. They do like hearing music through mine but just don't seem to care, at least not enough to explore it further. 

Like another poster said, it all seems to be "trending" toward the I I I me me me pod, phone I-thing.
I do believe digital media IS the future like it or not.
sound quality is something that "would be cool" but not for the cost of equipment that can deliver the goods..  together with the lack of content/ media that is even recorded in high res in the first place!
I am not talking about Jazz, or classical, or music that uses "real" instruments.

The sad lack of high res in pop, dance, rock, EDM, electronica, and that type of music is what most younger people seem to prefer.
Digital audio can only be reproduced "so digitally"...
(sorry if I'm not explaining what i mean to well...) I don't think you can make digital music sound any better than it was made originally.

** LOOK MA! PARAGRAPHS!** :)

On a side note, I am noticing that young people are not driving or buying cars either soo many don't even have a driver license!!
and men are being driven around by there wives/ girlfriends like their mothers ..

So, yes I believe from what I have seen and experienced that audiophiles, at least to the level that most of us are on here is definantly on the way down and changing to more convienient/ cheaper/ free way of listening while doing other things...

Wow! that's allot of typing for me! Hopefully I made some sense and the meaning of what i was trying to say is there.. 
I would be curious of what the age spread of the people here are...
and whats with the lack of female audiophiles of ANY AGE??
they even have superior hearing to men!... HMMPF!!!
good day!
M.

AudioAficionado
Audio Asylum
Audio Circle
What's Best Forum
Audiokarma
AVS Forums
Steve Hoffman Music Forums
Head-Fi
diyAudio
USAudiomart Forums

Just to name a few, and these don't include any social media sites.

I do think general social media, non-audio related, also has something to do with traffic slowing down.
Audiophiles are a dying breed, like it or not. Even those left have more and more distractions pulling at their free time.

Many of us left are in our 50's, 60's, and older, still recall when audio had a very central place in our lives. Before social media, Netflix, cable TV and VCRs. There used to just be audio and a couple of TV channels to compete with free time. It seems like now we have less free time, and more distractions fighting for the little free time we have.

I think audio had it's golden generation in the 80's before the internet.  All my friends (in their late teens and twenties) had stereo systems and listened to them regularly.  There wasn't the distraction of the internet, cell phones or video games (not many anyways).  I used to subscribe to a few stereo magazines (Stereo Review, Hi-Fi Magazine, Audio Ideas Guide) and lusted over the more expensive gear.  I also used to regularly visit the stereo stores and listen to the better components.  As a teacher I do not see any of my students being interested in audio.  They are interested in music but seem satisfied with the squeeky thin sound of earbuds.  They don't  even seem curious to hear better reproduction.

Now that I am older I have bought some of the vintage gear that I lusted over when I was young and have refurbished them to perform at or better than new.  I also have all the lp's that I bought over the years along with cd's and I am now getting into digital files.  I am not looking at much that is new except for digital as I see advancements there.  Vintage gear such as early Jeff Rowland, Bedini, Ray Lumley, Beard and Acoustat with upgraded or newer parts sound wonderful and are more than competitive with new.  And at 1/5 the price.  I have spent on newer cables, though.

So I am not as actively seeking to upgrade my system as I have in the past as I think I am at a level now that I can truly enjoy the music.  The itch to upgrade has mostly gone ...

There does seem to be an increase in interest in lp's, hopefully it will become more than a fad.  This may save the hobby if some of them get infected with the audio bug.

I recently fired up my McIntosh gear that had been in storage for 10 years, and started the process of figuring out how to feed my digital content to it and enjoy the sound.  As a result I'm more active than ever, and feel re-invigorated regarding high end two channel audio as a hobby. Interestingly at 61 years old, I'm not chasing vinyl nostalgia, but high fidelity digital audio, and it's convenience.

And loving it!

Could it be Home Theater ..?

I notice in recent years many Stereo shows that come to NYC put more emphasis on 5.1 HT than two channel stereo...
A lot of guys on my job and those who have retired packed up their equipment or sold it to down size just for a HT receiver ...
Today i look in movie theaters and sometimes while the movie is playing there's only one person sitting in the place , figure that out... I remember when the movie theaters use to be packed but today BLU-RAY and DVD are killing the old neighborhood Cinemas ...
While good Stereo equipment is very expensive and guys are down sizing from houses to apartments in their retirement years .. Top notch Stereo equipment is out of reach for most of us and this is another reason why "millions of dollars" are going into the HT market .. Sit back and watch the amount of money Disney will make on Star Wars when the Blu Ray DVD hits the stores ...