The manner in which communities are formed and sustained have been dramatically altered by major advances in communication technology, and the advent of social media. For close to two decades, they have helped people overcome great distances by offering a digital proximity, via likes, shares, comments or chats. Simultaneously, though, they have frequently been cited as a reason for a deterioration in neighbourhood relations, as the easy availability of information and ability to connect with friends and relatives online have left fewer opportunities and reasons to form relationships locally.

The events of the pandemic, however — the scrambling for essential items in the early part of lockdown and the organisation of local vaccination drives, to name two examples — have re-established the importance of proximity and, therefore, brought about strong changes in the neighbourhood. To understand the impact of the pandemic on people's attitude towards their immediate surroundings, MyGate, a community application, commissioned a report, now titled Trust Circle.

Some key points of the report are:

• Nearly 38 per cent of the respondents are confident in leaving their keys with their neighbours while going out, indicating the emergence of neighbourhoods as a strong pillar that Indians trust.  
• Though Gen Z (18 to 24 years of age) and millennials (25 to 34 years of age) do rely extensively on technology, it is the neighborhood that they often rely on in their daily life for any help or information. Even amongst Gen Z, the dependence on the neighbourhood (28 per cent) for information or help on a daily basis is higher than the dependence on close relatives (22 per cent) and friends (25 per cent).
• Interestingly, contrary to the popular belief it is men who have formed a deeper bond with the neighbourhood than women. While only 25 per cent of the women surveyed relied on the neighbourhood for any help or information, the men's ratio was close to 35 per cent.
• When looking for information and guidance regarding emergencies like COVID-19, 43 per cent men would turn to close friends and family (compared to 39 per cent women), while women (28 per cent) would turn to Internet based information like World Health Organisation (compared to 18 per cent men).