Nextdoor is one of the world’s best-known local community apps. It’s a resource where people can connect with others who live close by, advertise events and discuss local ordinances. Its timeline is often populated by lost cat searches and requests for babysitters,
But, all too often, racist and bigoted posts appear. Some warn shop owners that children of color were walking around stores, some make disparaging comments about protesters supporting racial justice, and much more.
In June of 2020, The Verge spoke with Kalkidan G., a Black woman who moved with her family to Rancho Santa Fe in California. She’s one of many Black users who have had problems with racist posts on NextDoor
The promise of a gated community like Rancho Santa Fe is to protect its members from outside intruders, but for Kalkidan, it’s her neighbors who she’s beginning to fear the most. While the same kinds of discussion are happening across Facebook and Twitter, Nextdoor’s hyper-local groups make tensions more intimate, more personal. Kalkidan knows the names and street addresses of people on her Nextdoor feed. She sees them when she goes for a walk, shops at the grocery store, and at school events.
The app is now taking steps to make the space safer for everyone, implementing software that might stop a poster before they say something racist, and providing training to its moderation teams.
But some people remain skeptical that the problematic posts will stop.
this is like the Papa John’s app alerting you that you’re about to order the breadsticks https://t.co/SEAkw4bJWo
— Droll Embiid. (@GeeDee215) April 20, 2021
We get into Nextdoor’s Karen problem — and what, if anything, might fix it.
We reached out to Nextdoor ahead of this show, and they sent us a statement.
Copyright 2021 WAMU 88.5
