Building the Digitally Gated Community: The Case of Nextdoor

Abstract

The neighborhood is a historic and contemporary site of the assertion of white racial and economic domination, particularly over Black people. Although there is strong evidence that whites continue to prefer racially segregated neighborhoods, fifty years of fair housing jurisprudence has made it more difficult to openly bar non-white residents. Among the many strategies used to protect white domination of residential space is the coordinated surveillance and policing of non-white people. In this paper, I show how Nextdoor, a neighborhood-based social network, has become an important platform for the surveillance and policing of race in residential space, enabling the creation of what I call digitally gated communities. First, I describe the history of the platform and the forms of segregation and surveillance it has supplemented or replaced. Second, I situate the platform in a broader analysis of carcerality as a mode and logic of regulating race in the United States. Third, using examples drawn from public reports about the site, I illustrate how race is surveilled and policed in the context of gentrification and integration. Finally, I discuss implications, questions, and future issues that might arise on the platform.

Do-it-yourself surveillance: The practices and effects of WhatsApp Neighbourhood Crime Prevention groups

“…With this, Kurwa (2019) observes the creation of 'digitally gated communities' due to the nationwide spread of Nextdoor as a carceral vehicle for regulating race in the gentrified areas of North American cities: 'the co-production of community through participation in surveillance is often based on the exclusion and suspicion of others ' (p. 113). His observation fits well with a growing demand for over-the-counter surveillance mechanisms being pushed by multinational companies.…”

How Microaggressions Reinforce and Perpetuate Systemic Racism in the U.S.

“…These biased perceptions may help explain why Black-owned homes and neighborhoods tend to be devalued in the U.S. (Bonam et al, 2016;. Social media applications, such as "Nextdoor," also provide a platform for stereotypes about neighborhood safety and criminal activity to be circulated (Kurwa, 2019). Further, these websites and applications can create echo chambers that amplify an "us" versus "them" mentality that is conducive to stereotyping.…”

“…Further, these websites and applications can create echo chambers that amplify an "us" versus "them" mentality that is conducive to stereotyping. By increasing racial panic under the guise of public safety, the White individuals in these neighborhoods not only make their Black neighbors feel unwelcome, but can actually result in an increased police presence-which already tends to be biased against people of color (Kurwa, 2019).…”

MATERIAL ENTANGLEMENTS OF COMMUNITY SURVEILLANCE & INFRASTRUCTURAL POWER

“…While there is anecdotal evidence of reduced petty crime and solving local policing cases, privacy advocates are concerned about the potential for abuse of civil liberties in discriminatory community surveillance networks, like Neighbors, that are predicated on a false sense of increased security (Stanley, 2019) and are prone to the "policing of race in residential space" (Kurwa, 2019). These kinds of neighborly surveillance practices encourage "solutions" that far outstrip the infraction and escalate minor incidents into (potentially fatal) encounters with law enforcement (Gilliard, 2020).…”