StackOverflow questions down 66% in 2023 when compared to 2020

[vlugovsky]

I've been delving into some data, and it appears that GPT is killing StackOverflow really fast. Here are the numbers of questions for the past five years:

2019 - 1,744,299 2020 - 1,904,694 2021 - 1,445,042 2022 - 1,278,496 2023 - 633,163 (which is a 66% decrease from 2020)

Does anyone think StackOverflow will be able to pivot?

[mattbrewsbytes]

Even before GPT it has become less useful over time because you end up with 8 different answers you have to assess if it matches your question/problem. Now just type that in a GPT and get your answer. As long as its not cutting edge stuff just released you're much better off with a GPT query and clarification prompts to narrow down the answers.

I don't know that you can correlate a single tool as being the reason SO is declining. There are also more widespread LSP tools out there over this timeframe. I feel like we may have also seen a plateau of new languages/frameworks in this timeframe. Usually those drive lots of new questions.

[Desafinado]

For a tool that's designed to document problems for a given technology, and ensure uniqueness of the question, isn't this what we should expect?

When I use Stackoverflow now I'm rarely writing a question, I'm usually relying on an answer that already exists.

The alcohol stack is a great example of this. Absolutely dead now because all of the questions have been asked.

[leros]

Part of what makes a healthy online community is allowing topics to be brought up again. It lets people talk about new things, let's people ask about different details, and engages people who may not have seen the previous questions.

Stackoverflow has decided they're a knowledgebase and not a forum, which I think is proving to be a bad decision for them.

[leros]

Stackoverflow has become almost hostile to use.

A few examples:

1) I ask for the best way to accomplish something. It gets closed for being an opinion based question.

2) I ask how to do something. People ask for code. I post my bad half working solution. My question gets closed for being an opinion based question.

3) I ask how to do something. It get closed as a duplicate but the existing question is out of date and/or doesn't answer my question.

4) If my question is allowed on Stackoverflow, it usually doesn't get a response.

This stuff doesn't happen all the time, but it's often enough that I no longer enjoy using Stackoverflow and just ask on Reddit instead where I get a plethora of comments with answers and opinions.

[throwaway019254]

Can’t use StackOverflow, all my questions are closed as duplicate, even though I linked to other questions and explained why they are not the same thing.

[VirusNewbie]

This is one area that ChatGPT and Bard is a lot better at, at least as of right now.

StackOverflow is filled with old versions of solutions that are no longer relevant, or the right answer is some dumb comment and you have to read three comments down, it's pretty bad.

[ugjka]

Their overzealous moderation practices don't help it either

[hamdouni]

The comment about the natural "entropy" of this kind of site is right : lot and lot of questions were already asked. But has audiences decline at the same rate ?

On contrario, many questions asked to gpt may be redundant... A converging approach would be great (saving and publishing answers from gpt in a SO like site) but I suppose there will be some confidential issue (Please gpt, refomulate this personal letter)...

[KomoD]

> it appears that GPT is killing StackOverflow really fast

There's nothing proving GPT caused the decrease?

[Nevin1901]

Not sure if GPT is the reason stack overflow is declining, but I always liked how I can get really specific help from chatgpt. I can ask it: how exactly can I do x, and it will answer. You don't always find that on stack overflow or reddit.

[revskill]

I can't use stackoverflow because of its broken oath login process.

[lulznews]

GPT produces better code than mid tier engineers, this is no surprise.