The Tribalism Nextdoor

Of all the social media platforms on the market today, the Nextdoor app might pose the biggest threat to the future of our society. Why? Because it's essentially Facebook but with a hyperlocal user base.

Social media illuminates everything about us while giving us the freedom to associate with whoever we please. This marriage of oversharing and overabundance grants us carte blanche to write off people for the most trivial of reasons because we know there are a million more avatars on the endless scroll with whom we could be a perfect match.

When we humans are forced to cooperate, however, we function best when a limited number of characteristics—such as a nationality, job, or even just a desire to survive—are the factors that tie us together. If we're obligated to work with the person beside us, then the less we know about them, the better.

A neighborhood is an ecosystem of forced cooperation. Yes, you can choose where you live, but you can't choose your neighbors—and because of that, it's much more beneficial for everyone when you're compelled to assume that the guy who lives in the brick house at the end of the street is a nice person because you know next to nothing about him.

The Nextdoor app is the worst of both worlds because it introduces the all-revealing, anti-cooperative spirit of social media to the hyperlocal, forced-cooperative nature of a neighborhood.

I've had several friends show me threads on the Nextdoor app that started innocuously but inevitably veered into petty bickering. Something as simple as a post about Veteran's Day or even a bake sale can ultimately lead to name-calling and vitriol. The final result is a town where neighbors begin effectively 'blocking' neighbors—but this time, in real life: "They're not invited to the Christmas party next year"..."I'm not walking by their house anymore"..."You stay away from their kids, Johnny, you hear me?"

Facebook has divided us into tribes at the national level, and the effects have been disastrous; there's no telling how much we'll suffer when the Nextdoor app teaches us to hate the person who lives across the street.