Are user groups dead?

User groups are not dead... yet.

Be aware that user group can refer to either online or IRL (in real life) gatherings. Erica Friedman is not optimistic about Internet user groups:

My gut feeling is that user groups are mostly old technology (Usenet, Forums) and the only people on them are the deeply dedicated/sticking to the old school ways, while the interesting conversations have moved off into newer forms of communication.

They will die out when the last Listserv server or Usenet group dies, but in the meantime they will linger on in corners of the Internet as they have for many years now.

Those are online forums, mostly consisting of Usenet and Yahoo Groups. Both Usenet and Yahoo Groups continue to exist, if not exactly thrive. Usenet user groups have a characteristic tone and format which has not changed since inception. For example, I was just reading this thread, A moderated forum: inconsistent with my Liberal principles from rec.music.classical.recordings (now hosted by Google Groups),

So you think I am those other guys. What, is your brain made of chav?
--Borscht Belt

Incongruous, isn't it? Very typical too!

There are also internet forums of the listserv and pipermail variety. These are actively used by the Wikimedia Foundation, W3C, and IETF. W3C is the World Wide Web Consortium. W3C develops Internet standards. If W3C is still using a user group-style format for communications, I think it is safe to say that user groups will not die out too soon.

IRL user groups

All of the above user groups are different from the SAS statistical computer programming language user group, see SAS Users Groups. SAS has existed since the 1970s and is used by over a million people every day. There are SAS user groups which are internet user groups with an optional IRL component, such as annual meetings, e.g. SAS Users Groups - US Conferences. Microsoft has many user groups too.

The former president of the Association of Personal Computer Users (APCU) is pessimistic about the future of IRL user groups:

Companies have mostly terminated their user group (UG) support programs... Take Microsoft, for example... At one time they provided live speakers and sample products for all meeting attendees... Then they did away with live speakers and started offering piab (Presentation in a box)... Then they did away with the UG staff entirely. I do understand that it is always about money but there used to be a thing called good will... Those days are gone.

EDIT 2024

In 2023, Google announced that it would no longer host Usenet user groups.