The Metro Vancouver Regional District is home to many Facebook Neighbourhood Groups (FNGs). However, there is limited research on FNGs in general, with most of the research focusing on the effectiveness of FNGs and community event spillover effects of FNGs. The current study is an exploratory qualitative exploratory research study to learn why Metro Vancouver residents join FNGs, to learn if FNGs are utilized as a crime prevention tool and whether social ties created in FNGs redefine Carr’s (2003) concept of new parochialism. Eleven in-depth, semi-structured interviews were conducted online, and themes were analyzed by utilizing a social disorganization, specifically collective efficacy lens. The three major themes of this study are: seeking community and finding it online, FNGs as a neighbourhood square, and FNGs as local bridges. A key finding is that FNGs serve as an example of Granovetter’s (1983) concept of local bridges, rather than Carr’s concept of new parochialism. The research suggests that municipal governments and police departments can learn how to leverage FNGs to communicate relevant information to residents and strengthen parochial-public ties. Residents can also learn how FNGs can be used and how the FNGs absorb the community context as its identity. This research adds to the limited existing literature on FNGs, specifically Canadian FNGs.
