Actually, I think the internet as a whole is going through a decline in popularity. I see less and less people using social media sites frequently, and more people simply use their computer to get something done, and use the internet to share their work. It's good that people are moving on from simply just using Myspace/Facebook/Xanga/etc. and realizing the internet has more potential, but it shouldn't be overly consuming if you're being unproductive at the same time. Less people wasting time on the internet with pointless stuff like Farmville / Top 8 means that there are fewer distractions and you may be able to have insightful topics worth discussing. So, from my perspective, it's not so much that CD and clan ladder are inactive, but seemingly the internet as a whole has gone the way of the telephone and television and radio: useful/practical at times, but no longer worth spending all day and all night on, as eventually some more advanced technology will be able to compliment it naturally.
