Yahoo Answers, a staple of the web for so long, is shutting down, with Yahoo planning to focus on other products in its ecosystem. For more than a decade-and-a-half, Answers has enjoyed some of the spotlight in internet culture. However, in recent years, the platform dropped from the public consciousness like many before it in favor of other services.
Yahoo first launched Answers in 2005, offering a simple question-and-answer system for users. It even had a points system that encouraged users to keep answering questions. In its heyday, the platform was a hub for curious minds, eager answerers, and people looking to contribute to a discussion. However, as social media platforms rose in popularity, Yahoo Answers lost its traction.
As a result, Yahoo has finally announced, through its webpage, that it is shutting down Yahoo Answers for good on May 4. Users can still post questions and answers until April 20, after which the platform will become read-only until its eventual closure. Users will be able to download an archive of their questions and answers through their Yahoo account until June 30 by requesting a download via the privacy dashboard.
Yahoo Answers Is From A Different Age
Yahoo Answers' shutdown marks the end of an era for the internet. At its peak, anyone curious enough to ask a question on the platform would likely get an answer fairly quickly. Back then, the internet hadn't developed to become the juggernaut of information that it is now. However, other platforms, like Quora, have created more robust question-and-answer services with verified users. Even social media platforms like Reddit and TikTok can provide more peer-to-peer information for curious minds. Today, if anyone wants to find an answer to a question, there are all sorts of places available where they can ask for it.
In addition to offering a useful forum in which for people to ask and answer questions, Yahoo Answers became infamous for some of its more funny or offbeat queries and responses. As the platform was open to users from all ages and backgrounds, much of its content included weird or innocently naive questions and elaborate typos. This was demonstrated in a video compilation of earnest questions about pregnancy (above), wherein the video creator read through different misspellings of the word 'pregnant' and the accompanying wording. But, with its popularity as an educational tool, Yahoo Answers' value as a source for humorous questions and answers fizzled too and, while its shuttering is sad, it's also timely.
Source: Yahoo