---
title: "Won’t You Be My (Online) Neighbor?"
description: "One-in-five adults use digital tools to talk to their neighbors and keep informed about community issues."
date: "2010-06-18"
authors:
  - name: "Russell Heimlich"
    job_title: "Former web developer"
    link: "https://www.pewresearch.org/staff/russell-heimlich/"
url: "https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2010/06/18/wont-you-be-my-online-neighbor/"
---

# Won’t You Be My (Online) Neighbor?

While face-to-face talks with neighbors remains the primary way people stay informed about their community, one-in-five adults (and 27% of internet users) have used digital tools in the past year to stay connected to their neighborhood.Roughly one-in-ten adults read a blog dealing with community issues (11%) and a similar number exchanged emails with neighbors about the neighborhood (9%). Fewer adults stay connected to their community via text messages (4%), online social networks (4%) and Twitter (2%). In regard to being informed about the community, all of these individual online means of communication still pale in comparison with physical personal encounters (46%) andtelephone calls (21%) among adults. [Read More](https://www.pewresearch.org/pubs/1620/neighbors-online-using-digital-tools-to-communicate-monitor-community-developments)