The power and perils of the social media ‘community’

My first real exposure to the double-edged sword of social media began with a cat. My cat, who disappeared recently on one of his solo adventures, leaving me and my family bereft. With all of us isolating with COVID-19, a search around the neighbourhood was off the cards and social media became our best bet of finding him.   

Enter Nextdoor. For those unacquainted with the app, this is a, ‘private social network for your neighbourhood,’ which has reached new levels of popularity during the pandemic. It’s commonly used to communicate with local people, moan about local issues, and buy and sell goods.

The pandemic has seen a surge in these virtual communities, with tens of thousands of people joining volunteering groups in lockdown to help the vulnerable and in need. Nextdoor alone noted an 80% uptake in user engagement[1], and these platforms have become a forum for community spirit and collective action, bringing isolated neighbours together on a virtual doorstep. In my case, just minutes after posting about my missing cat, complete strangers were offering helpful advice and by the end of the day I had a neighbourhood search party ready to comb the area.

The pandemic has revealed the power of internet mobilisation to do both good and bad in its rawest form. Its darkest side was demonstrated when thousands of people in online communities including the conspiratorial QAnon movement and other far-right extremist groups, stormed the Capitol. This led to platforms like Facebook and Twitter being criticised for their role in building and broadcasting an attack on American democracy.

Whether you think it was market manipulation or the ‘French revolution of Finance’ the power of ordinary people to disrupt the system was also demonstrated in the story of GameStop. This, as we know, was a ground-breaking battle between Wall Street and ordinary investors who used Reddit to drive its share price up by more than 1,700. Steve Huffman, Reddit CEO, praised the traders’ actions, extolling the ‘power of community’ and their ability to come together to, ‘defend all retail investors against the criticism of the financial establishment.’[2]

Governments and institutes of power have rightly been shaken by the force of these like-minded individuals who are algorithmically connected and amplified. Even in seemingly innocuous apps like Nextdoor, users have complained about a new influx of users[3] pushing misinformation about COVID-19 and fuelling aggressive fights between neighbours. Amid the kind posts offering to help elderly neighbours with shopping, public shaming, personal attacks, and snooping are common. Neighbourhood boys in hoodies are suspected burglars, people setting off fireworks are the anti-Christ and Susan at Number 3 definitely fly tipped in Number 5’s skip. I had my own taste of this when Nextdoor commenters blamed me for the lost cat. Not very neighbourly.

Despite the backdrop of Capitol stormings, the increasing noise of extremist communities and accusations of poor pet-care, the Nextdoor community and others like it still provide me with some hope for the internet. It’s the system that’s broken, not the people. The algorithmic amplification of extremist content online has created the illusion of strength in numbers, when the views of groups like QAnon are actually relatively fringe. Most of us have been using social media in lockdown to post pictures of banana bread, talk to friends and laugh collectively at the lawyer who turned into a cat.

Arguments have been made that the internet is broken and has divided us. Robert Putnam’s book, Bowling Alone, posits that technological individualism has led people to become selfish and insular, turning away from communities and civic organizations. This may be true in part, but we must not discount the rise of the new communities that are connecting us and their power for good. In a recent study, 77% of people said the most important group they're a part of operates online.

For many who are in need or are feeling isolated, these platforms are essential. This was shown in Australia when people rallied against Facebook temporarily blocking the news and community pages they relied on. Despite being on the other end of ‘online shaming’, my experience was overshadowed by the kindness of my neighbours who gave up their time to look for my cat; after three days, he was found.

It’s easy to be cynical about social media and there is no doubt a balance to be struck. I still believe that with the right regulation and collective responsibility, it can return to its original purpose to do good. Whether that be challenging Wall Street investors or finding someone’s cat.

[1] https://techcrunch.com/2020/03/19/nextdoor-adds-help-maps-and-groups-to-connect-neighbors-during-the-coronavirus-outbreak/

[2] https://www.ft.com/content/588375c3-58b6-4acb-96b7-fd63e7735da6

[3] https://www.vox.com/recode/22217343/covid-19-misinformation-nextdoor-local-network

Written by Lucy Thompson, Account Manager at Audley