This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at http://ted.com/tedx

We all know that the values of our community shape the way we look at the world. We all accept that the rules of the road affect how we drive. Or that the laws in our country dictate how we should act. When these values and rules change, we pay attention, because we want to make sure that the change was positive for us, and our community. But one area most of us pay very little attention to are the rules, incentives, and values of the services we use online.
Social status, game mechanics, and relevancy are shaping the way we use the internet, but theyfrequently drive us toward the wrong pursuits, when they could easily be used to motivate us to be happier, smarter, or healthier if that was the goal. A simple rethink on the way we harness the power of the internet might just change our world for the better.

Nicholas Molnar is a Web Strategist at Thirdi Software and the Director Of Technical Awesomeness at Fuck Cancer. He believes that the Internet isn't a force for social good, but the people on it just might be. He is experimenting with using social games - and the power of community - to make people live longer.