Society. "It allowed us to connect": WhatsApp groups between neighbors, a good idea?

Neighborly relationships don't always stop at the doorstep: they tend to extend digitally, as demonstrated by the development of dedicated applications (Voisins Vigilants, AlloVoisins, voisin-relais, etc.). In recent years, they have also infiltrated our instant messaging services, specifically WhatsApp. A phenomenon accelerated by Covid-19 and the lockdown.

According to a study by INED (National Institute of Demographic Studies) from April 2021, 57% of respondents use text messages, emails, and social media to communicate with their neighbors, and a third do so regularly. "It's very easy to use and very practical," says Alain, a 68-year-old resident of Vignoles (Côte-d'Or).

In a residence or neighborhood, a group chat often allows people to organize themselves to find a solution to a common problem. This is the situation in which Valérie, a 45-year-old from Grenoble, found herself: "Our WhatsApp group was created on the initiative of one person when we had a squatter who was sleeping and damaging our stairwell."

Claire, a 31-year-old Parisian, has never been part of such a group, much to her regret: "It could have been useful to me a few times, like when my upstairs neighbor had water damage while he was on vacation," she says. For Denis, from Orcières (Hautes-Alpes), it is indeed "very useful for quickly passing on information, such as drinking water problems or warnings after burglaries."

But a WhatsApp group isn't (always) a 2.0 general meeting of a co-ownership. Sometimes, members of the same conversation take the opportunity to exchange services . The group that Éveline participates in was initially dedicated to the chapel in her hamlet of Châvres (Oise), before expanding to all kinds of requests: "Who has a large ladder? An electric saw? Need a carpool?", lists the sixty-year-old.

"In apartment buildings in big cities, I feel like it's not always easy to connect with neighbors," observes Claire, from Paris. "Many don't even say hello when we pass each other." Digital conversations have the advantage of easily establishing an exchange between strangers. "It's allowed us to show solidarity with each other and create connections," confirms Valérie, from Grenoble. Mélanie, 39, who lives in Bassens (Savoie), even uses it "to organize aperitifs."

However, sometimes a WhatsApp group can become too restrictive. Alix, 28, lives in Paris and acknowledges that chatting with her neighbors "is very helpful when you need to organize collectively, against a shared landlord, for example." But the young woman decided to mute it, deeming the exchanges too numerous.

In addition to the pressure to participate, some criticize WhatsApp groups for encouraging accusations—people can more easily vent their anger in writing than in reality. "The group shouldn't turn into a daily filing of complaints," Claire says.

Christian, 68, is not keen on WhatsApp groups because he believes that social networks "encourage the decline of direct contact." "What would happen to a neighborhood party via WhatsApp?" he wonders. He can rest assured: "Far from supplanting physical relationships with our neighbors, digital relationships overlap them and the two coexist," sociologist Joanie Cayouette-Remblière of INED judged in 2023 on the website SeLoger.com .