How the Internet Might Grow a 'Heart'

Creating Efficiencies

Beyond powerful individual connections, conversations and caring, the Web could also become a platform for social help networks where resources from a whole range of people and organizations are collected and distributed with greater efficiency. Instead of over 100,000 U.S. foundations each managing their own portfolios of giving, private philanthropic money could be channeled instantly to direct service agencies identified through online and offline information as having the greatest impact and being the best fit. A caring Web could fundamentally change the way that do-gooders and do-getters engage. And it would save countless hours and dollars spent on grant evaluations, administrative overhead, marketing and the distribution of funds.

A caring Web could also change the way that assistance is made available in the public sector. Imagine an automated welfare system in which payments and support are directed toward individuals and families without them needing to jump through administrative hoops and seek extensive bureaucratic approval. Instead, needy individuals would receive financial and other support (i.e., counseling, job training and so on) based on collected information and a system that supports instantaneous responses to pressing needs.

Finally, a truly caring Web would not just rely on the intelligence of the Web and smart online databases; it would also leverage the power of mobile networks and collective intelligence on the ground. "Care Mobs" could use mobile devices and location-based services to organize help for a homeless person or a neighbor in trouble through intelligent alert and distribution services. Instead of setting up a collection for a family after a fire, neighbors could collaboratively locate housing and collect money instantly through a mobile-powered community network.

A smart and caring Web may take time to emerge, as there are numerous privacy, data collection and even some technical challenges to overcome. A natural concern is that a caring Web could also be a kind of Big Brother enabled to gather and share our personal information without permission and for purposes we may not approve of. For it to work, we need to be fully confident the Web can be a proper steward of our goodwill, making the right choices on our behalf.

However thoughtful the Web might become, it is important to remember it is still ours to direct and empower. Caring, compassion and empathy are not something you can program into a machine or network -- even a really smart one.

But the combination of our caring and a Web that facilitates more efficient matching of knowledge and resources could be a very powerful tool indeed. The question is really whether our desire to provide better help, leveraging the full capabilities of tools at our disposal, is greater than our fear of letting go of current systems and institutions. Most importantly, are we prepared to re-imagine the way that we care for each other and allow the Web to have a heart, and not just a mind, of its own?

Paul Lamb is the principal of Man on a Mission Consulting and a Next Generation Fellow with the American Assembly at Columbia University . You can read his Cool 'n Conscientious blog here .