Friday, July 18, 2025

Give us your feedback: Why do expat forums attract so much negativity?

For many expats in Mexico, expat Facebook groups and forums are valuable tools that help new residents find their way as they create new lives in a foreign country.

This is especially true if they don’t speak or read much Spanish. They’re a way to learn about local news and find out what’s going on. They help find out where to buy horseradish or pickles, rentals or a seamstress, the quickest/best/cheapest/most reliable place to get a COVID test.

They also help locate like-minded people and build community.

But there’s a dark side that’s being talked about more and more: why do these expat pages attract so many negative comments and interactions? Why has the atmosphere in some groups become so toxic?

Have you have been a target of angry or rude remarks online? Or have you said something online that was interpreted as overcritical or offensive? Are they caused by trolls, lack of courtesy, legitimate differences of opinion, or something else? What triggers these exchanges, which sometimes put expats off using such forums?

Mexico News Daily wants to find out how prevalent this behavior is and explore why. To help do so, readers are invited to complete the following survey.

Have something to say? Paid Subscribers get all access to make & read comments.
A man stands by an open suitcase in an airport revision area

Foreign national caught with over a million pesos of ketamine in Cancún airport

0
Officials confiscated 2 kilograms of ketamine, a controlled substance in Mexico.
two people walkin gby a for rent sign

Can rent control stop gentrification? Mexico City officials plan to find out

9
Political leaders in the nation's capital have reached into their anti-gentrification toolkit and come up with an approach that goes straight to the heart of the problem.
cell phone with Uber

Mexican authorities slam Uber’s price hike: ‘Unilateral and irresponsible’

2
The ride-hailing app insists that the rise is necessary after recent labor reforms gave its drivers full employee rights, including IMSS membership.
BETA Version - Powered by Perplexity