Nextdoor's Disappointment
datastream.substack.com
datastream.substack.com
We were already used to seeing hateful and bigoted comments on Facebook, especially in various local groups, but the behavior on Nextdoor took things to another level. I was genuinely surprised to see people acting that way so openly.
I initially tried using Nextdoor to address a problem in our neighborhood. People were constantly running the stop sign in front of our home. What should have been a simple discussion turned into a huge ordeal, to the point where I felt the need to install additional security cameras out of concern for retaliation from others in the neighborhood.
That same afternoon, after our conversation, he had officers stationed in a spot where they could monitor the stop sign. On the very first day, they issued nine tickets.
This all happened after I had already been threatened on Nextdoor—just for answering a question about identifying a repeat offender.
Someone had asked me to list the vehicles I frequently saw running the stop sign, so I did. One neighbor responded, “A silver F-150? You’ll have to be more specific than that—there are at least five silver F-150s in this neighborhood.”
So, I clarified and said, “It’s the silver F-150 with the Trump bumper sticker on the right side.”
I should have never said that. People immediately took it as an attack on Trump and his supporters. What followed was a wild few months.