Nextdoor’s Scorned Mute Option

Nextdoor is a social media platform for local neighborhoods. It has many of the same benefits and unfortunate controversies as all the other large social media platforms. Originally it filled a unique niche in the social media universe. It is intended to be a place for neighbors to connect and get to know each other. Many friendships have formed through those connections. Unfortunately, it is also the fertilizer and incubator of many enmities.

Once you start using Nextdoor you will rapidly discover which of your neighbors share your world view, and which ones do not. There will be agreements, debates, insults, outrageous ignorance, and lots of stuff that may trigger you, no matter what your religious, political, or philosophical positions are. When you think someone crosses the line of decency and respect, you have some options:

A) Report the user’s post or comment and hope moderators and/or Nextdoor corporate removes them. When you hit the report button, a complex system is triggered involving the following activities: The post or comment shows up as reported content for all your neighborhood leads to vote on. Simultaneously, your report is tallied automatically and added to the number of other reports (if any) by other users on the same content. Along with those actions, a proprietary algorithm kicks off that scores the content based on keywords and phrases. A combination of all those factors results in the content remaining or being removed.

That’s why content is sometimes removed hours, days, or even weeks after an initial report. Eventually enough reports on the same content tips the scale even though all the leads may have voted to keep the content active. So, when your content is removed, it may not be the neighborhood leads’ fault.

B) Mute the user so you no longer see their posts or comments. Everyone else who has not muted that user will still see their content.

C) Continue or abandon the conversation

Choosing to report content always comes up with an option to mute the reported content’s user as well, but most folks reporting content opt out of muting.

I have a suggestion for Nextdoor: When a user reports another user’s post or comment, the system should automatically mute the reporter and the reportee on both users’ accounts. This simple change would instantly cut down on frivolous reporting.

All users have the option to mute other users. When you mute a user, their posts and comments are no longer visible in your feed. If you feel a user is hijacking the entire platform by posting too frequently, submitting material that is too controversial, or simply being negative and abrasive, you can easily make them disappear from your life by muting them. It may be one of the most under-utilized options on the platform, while the report button is overused. Sometimes one has an ethical and moral duty to report, and to avoid muting so one can watch out for and report obviously harmful, dangerous content. But more frequently the intent is simply to silence and censor those we disagree with.

So why don’t more people use the mute option? The primary reason is fear. Fear that the other user will say something about you or in reply to some dispute or argument and you will not be able to see it, and therefore be unable to respond. Let’s face, the only thing worse than losing an argument and knowing it is wondering if you lost an argument without knowing it. Classic “fear of the Unknown”.

A secondary reason is that humans love power and control over others. Members of society who are ill-equipped to argue persuasively or are intellectually lazy still want to have influence, power, and control over others. They don’t merely want to make the person they disagree with or dislike disappear from their own life, they want to make that person’s ideas and commentary disappear from everyone else’s life as well.

They want to control what other people are able to see, out of subconscious hubris and hypocritical superiority.