People Are Sharing Their ‘Number Neighbor’ Interactions After Texting Complete Strangers (38 Pics)

Good morning, neighbor! Lovely day we’re having. Hope this weather holds. When’s the last time you said hello to the people living next door to you? I do it every day if I happen to meet them in my building, but beyond that, I don’t really know my neighbors all that well. As do plenty of people, I’ll bet.

The era of friendly chatterbox neighbors is long past, but the age of ‘number neighbors’ has finally come. Twitter users gladly jumped on the newest trend spreading through the internet and started sending text messages to their ‘number neighbors’ — those people whose phone number’s last digit is off from theirs by one. Either up or down. So if my phone number were 123, my ‘number neighbors’ would be 122 and 124.

However, not all contact with ‘number neighbors’ went as planned. Plenty of people got unexpected, weird or even downright creepy replies. To keep you entertained, Bored Panda collected the most interesting text messages. Kick off your shoes, get comfortable, and start scrolling. Upvote your faves and let everyone know which ‘number neighbor’ texts you think are the best.

The sad reality is that the fabric of society is changing: fewer and fewer people know their neighbors — who they are and what they do. Take the United States as an example. In 2018, Pew Research conducted a study with shocking conclusions. The findings show that less than a third — only 31% — of Americans know who their neighbors are. Unbelievable, I know. This number changes quite a bit if you go to the countryside (where 40% know who all or most of their neighbors are) and to urban neighborhoods (a mere 24% know the people living next to them). Ironically, it looks like the closer your neighbors live to you, the less well you know them.

Meanwhile, the New York Post writes that two out of every three millennials feel as though they don’t belong to the local community in which they live. Fortunately, around 69% stated that they wish things would be different, so perhaps there’s some hope for youngsters yet.

If you’re scared of getting to know your real neighbors, why not send your ‘number neighbor’ a friendly greeting, and let us know what kind of unexpected reply you get? Only remember to stay safe and not give out any important personal information. And if you want to read about wholesome neighborhood goodness, check out Bored Panda’s post about the teachings of everyone’s beloved Mr. Rogers.