Nextdoor fuels crime fears in neighborhoods, study finds
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Social media platform Nextdoor is creating exaggerated fears about crime and more support for aggressive policing tactics, a new University of Colorado Boulder study finds.
Why it matters: Nextdoor bills itself as an essential neighborhood news source in an era when local journalism is declining, but the platform's content is warping some users' perception of reality, the study says.
What they found: Frequent Nextdoor users report having greater concern about crime, which leads to these users having more openness to harsh policing tactics than people who use the platform less or not at all, the researchers said.
- The study, published in the journal New Media & Society, is based on an online poll of 1,806 adults in 2023 about the social media platform.
Even though violent crime in major metropolitan areas is declining, posts about porch pirates, bad drivers and loitering — often with video doorbell surveillance footage — make crime seem far more prevalent, the study said.
- That view leads to more support for constitutionally questionable police tactics like stop-and-frisk, routine vehicle stops and searches, and providing police with military-grade weapons.
What they're saying: "Because those folks trust their neighbors, they're more likely to take reports of crime seriously, which is associated with enhanced concern and an openness to more aggressive policing," Toby Hopp, an associate advertising professor who co-authored the study, said in a statement.
Yes, but: Researchers can't make a causal link about whether people worried about crime join Nextdoor or whether using the platform heightens their concerns.
- Nextdoor officials told Axios Denver that they agree that crime and public safety posts need context. The company also urges local government agencies to post to the platform.
- The company's guidelines "prohibit hate, discrimination, and targeting of individuals or groups, and we continue to invest in moderation and product design that aims to reduce sensational posts and keep conversations as factual and constructive as possible," Kelsey Grady, Nextdoor's chief global communications officer, told us in a statement.
The big picture: In certain communities, Nextdoor has become a de facto information hub, filling a void left by traditional news outlets.
- The shift not only is changing where people get news but could influence how they define public safety and what they're willing to accept.
The bottom line: "Nextdoor's business model is built around retaining audience attention and serving advertisements — it isn't linked to journalistic norms like balance, fairness and verified reporting," Hopp said.
Editor's note: This story was updated with a statement from Nextdoor.