Infectious Generosity: The Ultimate Idea Worth Spreading

Readers can utilize generosity in person and online to “turn the tide on the growing divisiveness of our world and usher in a new era of hope” according to this uplifting outing from Anderson (TED Talks), curator of TED Conferences. Generosity with money, “talent, time, creativity, connection, [or] basic human kindness” can benefit receiver and giver, he notes; experiments have shown that those who spend money on others report higher levels of happiness than those who spend on themselves. But generosity has the power to do its most powerful work on a larger scale—namely the internet, which could transform from a “scary, inhuman mass of strangers ready to judge and exploit us,” into a “force for good” if its users behave more generously to one another, giving acts of “unremarkable human kindness” the power to “ripple out like never before.” (That can entail a company offering free education on a technical subject, or a user crowdsourcing funding for a worthy cause.) While Anderson’s tone can tend toward the Pollyannaish (he suggests asking, “What can I give to the internet?” instead of “What can I get from the internet?”), his assertion that there’s a “pathway to reclaiming a healthier Internet” includes plenty of well-supported analysis and broad-minded suggestions (an artist sharing their work, for example, is a generous act). It’s an uplifting resource for internet users looking to make a change. (Jan.)