20 Day Stranger App Helps Us Build Compassion For Others

If we didn’t have a sense of empathy for other people in the world, this whole saving the planet thing would simply not be possible. The Playful Systems group from MIT’s Media Lab seek to install this vital quality in us by taking part in their innovative social experiment, in which volunteers switch lives with a total stranger for 20 days.

The 20 Day Stranger iPhone app connects two individuals with contrasting lifestyles and beams live visual information from one device to the other, giving you a sense of your partner’s daily activity. Information is detected by sensors in your phone, for example it could feed you a tapestry of images from Google Maps based on their current position. If they are walking through Times Square or cycling past Camden Lock, you will be able to put yourself in their shoes and get a snapshot of life in another culture.

“For 20 days, you and a stranger will experience the world in your own way, together. You’ll never know who it is or exactly where they are, but we hope it will reveal enough about someone to build your imagination of their life… and more broadly, the imagination of strangers everywhere.”

If you’d like to seed for yourself if the app can help you grow a stronger appreciation for humanity and the existence of others, sign up for their trial here.

via FastCoDesign