Up until 2014, a graph would have shown a really tight relationship with forum traffic/activity and U.S. gasoline prices. (To a lesser extent with Canadian prices -- those 2 countries make up the majority of visitors.)
In 2014, forum activity fell off a cliff when the bottom fell out of the oil market and average US gas prices tumbled below $3, ultimately heading under $2/gal by early 2016. Since hitting that 2016 low, gas/oil prices have been gradually increasing, but forum activity has not followed.
Unfortunately, it didn't even
stabilize at that point.
Despite oil & gas prices hitting multi-year highs recently, last month was our
slowest ever --
half of what it was when gas prices hit the 2016 low. On a month-over-month basis, traffic has fallen gradually (with a few minor jumps) despite increasing oil/gas pricing.
That's why
I wondered if people had noticed any rising concern among "the normies" yet, as a result of prices hitting recent highs.
I read an analysis recently that might explain it: normies don't generally change their behavior when faced with
gradually increasing fuel prices; they tend to only respond to spikes/shocks.