Kalee Henderson | 2026 I.S. Symposium
狈补尘别:听Kalee Henderson
Title: “Looking Out for One Another”: How Digital Neighborhood Groups Shape Community
惭补箩辞谤:听Sociology
Minor: Statistical & Data Sciences
础诲惫颈蝉辞谤:听Heather Fitz-Gibbon
Digital neighborhood groups on platforms such as Facebook and Nextdoor have become commonplace over the past fifteen years, spurring discourse about neighborhood surveillance. This study explores the impact of surveillance within digital neighborhood groups on members鈥 senses of community and belonging in their neighborhoods. Existing research reveals that these sites promote surveillance and construct shared neighborhood identities, bolstering senses of safety and belonging for some, while instilling feelings of fear and exclusion for others. I analyze this topic through the theoretical framework of Foucault鈥檚 panopticon and carceral culture, Durkheim鈥檚 social solidarity, and Sampson鈥檚 collective efficacy. I conduct a case study of three Facebook neighborhood groups in a small midwestern city, distributing a survey and analyzing group content. I find that surveillance within these groups appears in the form of informal control strategies, rather than panopticism. Aligning with previous research, I argue that these strategies create strong neighborhood identities, drawing boundaries around who belongs in the neighborhood. Adding a new element to the existing literature, I identify the prevalence of mutual aid and positive feelings of 鈥渘eeds fulfillment鈥 in the groups I study. Thus, I conclude that, while exclusionary, digital neighborhood groups facilitate the creation of shared identities, enabling residents to join forces and achieve common goals.
Posted in Symposium 2026 on May 1, 2026.
