While early digital communication technologies, such as email and texting, were messaging platforms designed to be private, person-to-person communication, more recent digital messaging platforms are broader, extra expansive and increasingly inclusive messaging platforms. Twitter, for example, was widely credited for its pivotal role in communicating to and self-organizing protesters in the absence of open, free media during the Arab Spring uprisings.
Sabba Quidwai, director of innovative learning at the University of Southern California's Keck School of Medicine, makes the case that communication platforms such as Snapchat are redefining the type of storytelling that breeds empathy.
Quidwai explains, "Snaps come from local people telling the story of who they are, what they do and what the day-to-day looks like. At the end of the day, when I have finished watching an entire Snapchat story, I have a deeper appreciation for humanity; but above all, I always leave with the same thought, 'Wow, they are just like us.'"
Indeed, we are sharing more photos that ever before, and we are moving into a world in which we will be sharing more video than ever before.
That's just the start. A digital-infused world is going to drive empathy by helping us remember just how small we are in the world. As the world gets smaller and we become increasingly connected, empathy matters even more.
Recently, I attended an incredibly impactful memorial service for a 10-year-old boy who died from a brain tumor. My three sons were with me and were moved by the number of people in attendance, but perhaps even more moved when they saw that the service was being streamed.
It broadened their perspective and allowed them to see the reach of this tragedy beyond their own periphery. Not only did the webcast allow others separated by geography to mourn together with those who mourned at the service, it also allowed my sons to see that the loss we all felt was being felt across the globe by hundreds of people they will probably never meet.
On a larger scale, services such as Google Translate are allowing us to communicate with a wider spectrum of people than ever before.
Today's tech platforms are rekindling empathy, changing the way we help one another in times of need. The new wave of consumer technology is re-engaging people through immediate, shared experiences.
Tech is making it easier than ever to support causes we believe in and help in times of crisis. Through crowd-funding platforms, such as Kickstarter, Indiegogo and GoFundme, we are able to put our money where our mouths are.
Tomorrow's tech will help us better understand the needs of those affected in a way yesterday's tech simply couldn't convey. Technology is driving empathy, and in that I find great hope for our children.
Shawn DuBravac is chief economist of the Consumer Electronics Association and the author of "Digital Destiny: How the New Age of Data Will Transform the Way We Live, Work, and Communicate." Follow him on Twitter @shawndubravac
