Generosity brings joy to the worldwide web

Alexandra Samuel
Thursday, December 20, 2001

This is the time of year when many of us brush the dust off our love for our fellow men and try to act in a spirit of kindness and generosity.
It's a spirit that flourishes year-round on the Internet.

The Internet thrives on selflessness. Many successful Web sites are fueled not by owner dollars, but by user enthusiasm. Most Internet content is provided by individuals, for individuals, simply as a public service.

Slashdot is a technology news site. The more people read a given story, the closer it gets to the "front" of the Web site. Where does Slashdot get its breaking news? User contributions.

CDDB is a database that can automatically identify virtually any audio CD you insert into your computer. How was this database compiled? User contributions.

MacFixit is a source of information and advice on how to troubleshoot Apple computers. Where does it get its lists of system glitches and technical hints? User contributions.

The fullest expression of this spirit is the phenomenon of open source software. Software is "open source" if its source code -- the instructions that tell your computer what to do -- is publicly available.

Private software, like Microsoft Word, is like tract housing. You choose from a set of identical boxes and move in. You can't modify your house, or your program, to suit your individual needs, because nobody except Microsoft can read or modify the source code.

Open source software is more like a barn-raising: People work together to build a program. Once you've built the frame of your program, you make the code public -- and programmers around the world help with the rest of the construction.

That's how Linux became the world's fastest-growing operating system. Thousands of programmers contributed pieces of Linux over the years, and they continue to expand and improve it.

Most Linux programmers never receive a penny for their code. They contribute because they care about the project and about the community.

This kind of behaviour has been described as "generalized reciprocity." In societies with a strong tradition of generalized reciprocity, people help each other out because they know that, sooner or later, someone will help them. According to Harvard professor Robert Putnam, these societies enjoy greater social, political and economic well-being.

The Internet has become the great incubator for generalized reciprocity. It seems that certain aspects of Internet technology encourage people to be more generous:

- The Internet is a costume party. You can be any age, race or gender. Without the clues of body language or the prejudices of daily life, we're less likely to make judgments about who does or doesn't deserve our help.

- The Internet is an easy chair. You can contribute advice, code or information without getting up.

- The Internet is a one-way mirror. You don't have to raise your hand to ask -- or answer -- a question. People who might be too shy to help a stranger on the street can safely reach out online. And you don't have to worry that the person you help will repay you with a tuna casserole.

- The Internet is a land of small towns. A lot of our online experiences take place within small communities of people who share a particular interest -- whether it be orchid gardening, Canadian football or woodworking. Within these communities, people develop a sense of mutual dependence and trust that makes them more inclined to help each other out.

- The Internet is a pizza. It's a flat, non-hierarchical community. There's no boss, no authority to tell us what to do, no sage to give us the right answer. We can't pass the buck upwards to those responsible, so we have to take responsibility for ourselves.

While these technological quirks may nudge Internet users in the right direction, it's still individuals who decide to be helpful. The wonderful thing is that most make that decision. It's those millions of decisions that give the Net its generous spirit.

But the Net's greatest potential could be its effect on offline community. Generosity may be a muscle that gets strengthened online -- and the helpfulness people practise online can spill over into their offline existence. When you routinely offer advice or information to people on the other side of the world, you discover the pleasures of being helpful.

The Net gives us a chance to participate in communities that are a little kinder, and a little more trusting, than the ones we live in offline.
If you're frustrated by a world that treats generosity like a seasonal snowfall, you may want to try year-round surf.

Alexandra Samuel is a Vancouver-based technology writer and consultant.