Nextdoor: Community updates and arguments

Senior+Tabitha+Wan+browses+Nextdoor%2C+checking+for+any+updates+in+her+community.+

Photo courtesy of Tabitha Wan.

Senior Tabitha Wan browses Nextdoor, checking for any updates in her community.

Lizzy Wan, Diversity Coordinator

Nextdoor is an app many use to communicate with their community to report crimes, sell items, and give information about neighborhood activities. However, it has also been reported as a platform where people go to start fights about trivial neighborhood matters. The Nextdoor app was founded in 2008 and has since gained 27 million monthly users and has become wildly popular within communities across the world.

This is the homepage of Nextdoor and what it looks like when you first open the app. From here you can scroll to find information about what is going on in your community.

“I would describe Nextdoor as an app where people from your neighborhood post updates and notify others of important occurrences and events,” sophomore Ana Lunaparra said. 

When downloading the app Nextdoor asks for an address in order to ensure that you live in the neighborhood you are trying to join. This verifies that everyone on Nextdoor is actually from your town. 

With the app gaining attention from communities around the nation, it is clear that there must be an appeal to users based on the variety of functions available. 

 

“I downloaded Nextdoor when I wanted to sell something and one friend recommended it,” Lunaparra’s mom, Karla Cahue, states. 

Unlike her mother, Lunaparra solely uses the app to check updates on the neighborhood and prefers not to post or engage with other users. 

“I do not post on Nextdoor and I mostly see adults post on Nextdoor, only sometimes kids my age,” Lunaparra said. 

However, some users feel that the app is overused as a platform to argue for unnecessary reasons. 

“I often see petty arguments over small things on Nextdoor,” Ana Lunaparra revealed.

Nonetheless,  Nextdoor still has positive uses for the community as it brings awareness to issues in the community, updates people on events, and even helps small business owners advertise themselves.

“I would recommend other teens to get Nextdoor because it is extremely useful and beneficial if you are interested in getting involved in your community,” Lunaparra said.