Maybe I'm a little over idealistic or out of touch with societal trends, but I think the younger generation in America is beginning to use the web to create global change with an altruistic spirit. I recently joined the daily email list of an organization based in Tennesse call Cool People Care, which aims to let people know about quick things they can do online every day to make a difference. Today's email directed me to an amazing organization call FreePledge.

Shop. Donate. Feel Good.

Through FreePledge, customers can make purcheses online at Amazon, Ebay, iTunes Music Store, Hotels.com, and over 100 other sites. With each purchase FreePlege donates a certain percentage of the amount to a non-profit of your choice. The best part is that the donation is completely free of charge to customer.

FreePlege was mentioned in a SF Chronicle article a few weeks ago, which led me to another online organization called Dotherightthing.com, set up to rate the "social performance" impact that different companies have on the world. The interesting thing about these organizations, as noted the the SF Chronicle article, is that they are all founded and run by young idealistic executives at major tech companies. They are not content simply with their own personal fortune, as has been the case with previous generations, they want to make a difference in the lives of others who are less fortunate.

These organizations fit it with a hope that I've always had, which is that the internet can be used for so much more than porn or myspace or videos of people singing badly. It can be used to connect people from across the globe to make our world a better place for everyone. There are already countless non-profits already established to deal with every issue imaginable, and now I believe the internet is beginning to give them the attention they need.