Recently, I had the privilege of hearing Arianna Huffington speak at a fundraiser for the wildlife rehabilitation organization Wildcare. Her focus was on the significance of activating empathy, in this case, even for the smallest inhabitants of our planet. Though she playfully labeled Wildcare low-tech but high-heart, the organization itself aspires to be high-tech which got me thinking about the impact and continuing evolution of the Social Web.
Can technology help us build channels that facilitate not just participation and engagement, but true empathy?