Can neighborhood apps change how we view our neighborhoods? In order to find out, a group of academics are looking at how neighborhood applications like Nextdoor and others may make it seem worse that there is crime in the community when users read about it on these apps. This study holds the potential to help reduce the negative effects such apps have on the human psyche.“Neighborhood apps are a great way to keep up with and build one’s community. However, the constant notifications regarding crime might cultivate an availability bias which impacts perceptions of local crime rates,” the study reports. “In two studies, we confirmed our hypothesis that those who use neighborhood apps would perceive local crime rates to be higher in their communities than those who do.