Man, nextdoor has become a persistent character in my online world. I continue to minimally interact and communicate with other platforms, but the localness of the opinions/moods/mood/people/animals/most everything allows the platform to create a unique view of modern day living in my neighborhood.
I grew up in a suburban setting and I knew the families of most all of the kids within a one or two culdesac (yep, that kind of suburb) radius. As an adult who moved to a different state and neighborhood, I'm only making inroads to meet neighbors after years of seclusion. From my own experience and now talking with neighbors, I see that modern living has been very isolating for many of us.
NextDoor gave me a glimpse into the minds of neighbors; a glimpse that I lacked without NextDoor. Beware of that glimpse! We all know that NextDoor, for a variety of reasons, amplifies posts that result in and perpetuate negative feelings. It's the nature of current social media, but there's also a lot of positivity hiding amongst the towers of intangible psuedo-debate threads that solidify animosity.
I aim to connect with the positivity that hides. I have to confess that I'm ashamed that I continue to be surprised: there's so much positivity to be found. I didn't think I had, but I had become cynical regarding my neighbors and community.
I think that cynicism needs to be challenged. I try to challenge mine often as it seems to be regenerative especially when I don't meet with people in-person as often.
If you found any of the above interesting, then you may also enjoy listening to the video. Enjoy an ABQ backdrop via bicycle in a commentary on the idea of local community.