As a metaphor, neighborhood evokes community, familiarity, shared space and often an assumption of shared values. Due to how easily and quickly groups emerge and dissolve via the Internet and our increasingly mobile society, we have made the concept of neighborhood into an icon, a holder of shared values. In doing so, a sense of nostalgia regarding neighborhoods emerges as we yearn for a place to connect with those who have something in common with us. Place easily becomes the focus of this yearning.

With today’s digital possibilities, society is not limited to geographic proximity for social connection or participation. In lieu of proximity, we rely on technology to help us construct our collective identities by trying to recreate connections to geophysical locations. Social media sites work as an “unbounded community,” in which my geographic location is only one way to connect me to other social media users.

Hyperlocal content does not necessarily mean focusing on smaller areas and excluding metropolitan areas like New York or Dallas. As a matter of fact, many sites I discuss throughout this webtext have the bulk of their content geared toward major cities rather than small towns. Recommendation site yelp asks users to share their local knowledge of businesses and organizations ranging from restaurants to churches.