a community proving humanity is good

Over the past week we’ve watched our neighbors in Texas devastated by one of the worst storms in the state’s history. Today we’re launching Purposity’s first-ever disaster relief effort for those affected by Hurricane Harvey.

Hey, there. We’re excited you’re part of our tribe. You’re now part of a select group looking to find purpose through generosity.

Experts describe hope as an emotional state. Having hope strengthens a person’s coping ability against feelings like despair or hopelessness. Having higher levels of hope actually increase an individual’s problem-solving abilities. It allows a person to more effectively cope with the present because they look towards the future.

Generally, commencement speeches are wrought with sentiments like “go forth and conquer” or “the world is your oyster,” meant to leave graduates inspired to succeed. But Mark Zuckerberg recently gave a very distinct commencement speech to some Harvard grads. It was one aimed at providing a completely different kind of inspiration.

As Katerina Fake explains it, the idea of creating Flickr came from a search to find others interested in her favorite author. Living in New Jersey, there weren’t many people interested in debating the works of Jorge Luis Borges. But, an online forum connected her to a community of Borges’ admirers in Europe, allowing her to feel like part of a community. From that feeling, Fake later went on to create several technologies to build online community. She wanted to share that feeling with others. Flickr is arguably the forefather of social media as we know it, and it sprang from the need to connect.

Gaming has been shown to build stronger connections. Now, we’re not giving you an excuse to lock yourself in a dark room for days on end, ignoring the world. But, the Pew Research Center found gaming an integral part of connectivity for teens, especially boys. For online teen gamers, 78% say gaming makes them feel more connected to friends they already have. That number represents 42% of teens between ages 13 and 17. Over half say they feel more connected to gamers who aren’t their offline friends. For 38% of boys who game, their handle is among the first three pieces of information they share with someone they’re hoping to befriend. That’s significant.