"That Neighborhood is Sketchy!": Examining Online Conversations about Social Disorder in Transitioning Neighborhoods

In this paper, we examine online conversations about a Chicago neighborhood that is currently transitioning from a lower to a higher socioeconomic population (otherwise known as "gentrifying"). Based on patterns identified in the online conversations, we present our findings related to social disorder as it was one of the most prevalent topics. Our results suggest that comments about social disorder were mostly based on perception of safety rather than personal experience or real data, where online respondents who had negative comments shared mostly anecdotal information, while positive comments were heavily legitimized and supported with more persuasive arguments.

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