Kalee Henderson | 2026 I.S. Symposium

Name: Kalee Henderson
Title: “Looking Out for One Another”: How Digital Neighborhood Groups Shape Community
Major: Sociology
Minor: Statistical & Data Sciences
Advisor: 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’ 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’s panopticon and carceral culture, Durkheim’s social solidarity, and Sampson’s 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 “needs fulfillment” 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.