I’ve been throwing since around 2008, and it seems this hobby’s popularity has declined quite a bit through the years. Everyone knows about this. It seems like this has happened especially the last few years though, with contest vids and manufacturer videos getting much less views these days compared to before. I don’t think this hobby has successfully transitioned away from message boards to the social media age, even though it definitely could have if things went differently. Anyone have thoughts on this?
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I mean Hunter and Gentry have like 1.3m and 800k followers on Tik Tok respectively. Stoney is getting 50k+ likes on Instagram posts. We’ve got vibrant communities on FB/Discord and successful online events even during the pandemic. I think one fundamental aspect of social media is that it’s less about the industry/companies getting the views and more about individual users/generators/influencers with lightning strikes and viral posts.
Bigger question to me is whether the age of “blow this up” tornado binds as the first point of contact for non-players is any better or worse than it used to be or could be.
Generally though I think yoyoing is situated as it’s always been. It’s got a high potential for fad/boom, but its learning curve is self-limiting, especially in an era of immediate gratification.
I think it’s doing fine and I think our ambassadors are pretty awesome.
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i think yoyo ‘niches’ are becoming, and opportunities for smaller, less recognized folks and groups are getting being recognized, and becoming more popular outside the typical
mainstream conduits. this has been exasperated (a better word may be encouraged or flourished) by the lack of the typical reach of the yoyo
culture and scene as it has been historically presented (contests and the like)…
every day, myself (and i’m just some shmoe), group members and others that are in our circle get new followers interested in yoyo on IG. some of these folks are new to IG, and the first ‘yoyo people’ they follow are not gentry, evan, or even some
of the mega mainstream folks - these folks are following new streams, folks - underground, sub-culture, counter-culture…
Mike, GWAY, myself, Dan, lathed back, etc, etc… new cats hottin us everyday from eastern europe, southeast asia…
the hobby is alive and well, and there are a lot of folks that want to be a part of it. i think
it’s just a matter of where you’re looking, or whre you are
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Welcome to the forums. I think yoyoing will always be viewed as kinda nerdy and that’s fine. Yoyoing will attract exactly who is ripe for it at the exact perfect time. It seems to me we are in an era where patience is short and instant gratification is the most sought after thing and yoyoing may not fit into the equation for 99% of people but lots of people are getting into the hobby each year so that’s good.
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I would think otherwise. The r/throwers subreddit has been consistently growing and especially during the pandemic, a lot of people have been interested in yoyoing and have taken up the hobby. So I don’t think yoyoing is declining in popularity but it’ll probably remain a niche for the foreseeable future.
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In my time hanging around the scene it seems to be the same “net” amount of players at any given time. I think the plateau that most people hit between the 1-3 year mark contributes to a steady drop off in “active” players.
I don’t think it’s that the hobby is declining, I think the community is more segmented and spread out then ever before. There are about 9 active Facebook groups, Reddit, Instagram, Discord, and YoYoExpert. Each place has folks that exclusively use that platform and some don’t overlap.
When I started it was only three main spots, all being message boards. Social media platforms aren’t the best for building a community which really can strain a community that relies so heavily on fellowshipping and learning from each other. I am always hopeful that the community will keep growing in a sustainable way though!
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I think there’s just a shift in where it’s showing to be popular really. Like others mentioned it’s gotten huge on tiktok, and most yoyo players shoe off their tricks via Instagram now these days.
Full length videos from individuals and companies don’t get as much notice cause the current yoyo generation has less of an attention span to watch these things and instead migrate to the fast actions of instagram trick circles and tiktok edits.
I think there are more players now finding it and getting Into it, but you gotta look in the right places to see it happening. 
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I can definitely agree with you, over the past few years, yoyo has declined a bit. But like a few others have mentioned, the presence in social media is still pretty decent. Honestly, my favorite way of spreading the hobby has been in person. I have made at least 10 true Yoyoers in my time, but like someone else mentioned, most people nowadays (I’m sounding really old rn) have nowhere near enough patience to progress to the point where yoyoing is extremely enjoyable.
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I agree with @ExYoyoAddict – it ebbs and flows but still seems to be trending downwards. But lots of things are in decline, youth sports participation for example.
I feel this is just part of an inescapable, macro trend: the decline of physical activities and the rise in digital activities. There’s just an ever increasing amount of “stuff” competing for your time and something has to give.
But don’t despair. You’re always going to have a small but dedicated group of people keeping the hobby going. Heck, even the “stick and hoop” community is thriving in the internet age. Here’s a photo from the last meetup!!
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I agree fella.
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How would I keep up with G2 releases if yo-yo was even more popular??? But fr I think it has a decent niche seems the same now as it was when I first picked up a yo in ‘13
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Yoyos are unlike most other hobbies I’ve ever dealt with.
Because no matter how you throw em: throw them down, throw them in the closet, throw them in the lake.
They keep coming back. Yo>
Yo…
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I agree with this but I also think it’s one side of a pendulum swing. Not saying that yoyo is gonna rocket back to like 90s levels but increasingly I’m hearing analog hobbies on the rise as people like me spend more and more time glued to our work machines. Mini painting, woodworking, etc are seeing more and more people gravitate to them from what I understand. And as others have said, I feel like you see some people go but others come and stick around. So idk, maybe it’s not growing or even contracting (I’ve only been around for a couple of years) but I don’t see it really disappearing.
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I think what you’re seeing is the result of the current pandemic situation. Clubs, store sponsored meetups and contests are all pretty much on hold right now. And as others have mentioned the instant gratification factor is having an effect as well.
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That’s too true 
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Yes!!! 
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There’s also a hobby life cycle in most people’s lives. Hobbies that people latch onto as kids fall by the wayside when they get to college as other things take priority. Then when they get older and have done all the high priority things in life (career, kids, etc.) they get back into fun activities they loved as kids. This produces a certain ebb and flow that you find in a lot of hobbies.
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I am struggling to understand how you have been playing yo-yo since 2008; yet just joined this forum 16 hours ago.
Have I missed some other posts; or are we getting played?
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I was on this board and others years ago, but have been on a 5 plus year hiatus from yoyoing. I wanted a new start since I’m now an adult compared to an immature kid before.
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This hobby is doing the literal opposite of declining in popularity. Theres more players than ever. More yoyos than ever. More stores than ever. Players are growing in skill at exponential rates that are impossible to keep up with. We have companies like Mountain Dew and Axe sponsoring contests in some countries.
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