When Algorithms Come to Your Neighborhood

Or my frustrations with Nextdoor

I complain a lot about web platforms. But am I being fair? Are these apps really as cumbersome and manipulative as I claim?

So let’s take a case study. But where do I begin.

“You should write about Nextdoor,” Tara told me over dinner the other night.  

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“Nextdoor isn’t a very sexy topic,” I replied. “It’s just a forum for people in neighborhoods to share information.”

“That’s all the more reason to focus on it,” she responded.

“People often depend on Nextdoor. If something dangerous or urgent is happening nearby, you might need it for survival.”

Tara, as usual, was right. Nextdoor might seem the most boring app in the world. But if a fire or flood hit my neighborhood, it could be my lifeline.

But what would happen if I actually had to rely on Nextdoor for information in a disaster situation?

Well, let’s look at what happened today.

Nextdoor sent me an email with important information—there was a bomb threat at a local supermarket.

But this wasn’t much help to me—or anybody. That’s because the bomb threat happened almost a week ago.

This occurs so frequently that I hardly pay attention to these notices anymore. But that puts me at risk.

Any alert system that teaches yout to ignore its messages is risky business indeed.