【明報專訊】CHAT FORUMS in cyberspace came into existence almost as soon as the internet was launched to become a popular pursuit. Remember Friendster, AOL, and MSN? These older chat forums from the early 2000s were replaced by what we have today, because Snapchat, Twitter and others can afford a much more elaborate space for chatters to engage in ever‑diversifying topics with higher speed. In Hong Kong, online forums like HKGolden, and more recently LIHKG, have captured many people's energy by providing the space to voice opinions, debate politics, express social concerns, criticise the government, share insights, mobilise collective actions, and of course to also engage in idle chatting.