Empathy on Social Media

Much of public discourse and social interaction has shifted online. These platforms give us unprecedented access to stories and perspectives we might never otherwise encounter. At the same time, they often amplify division, outrage, misunderstandings, pulling us toward reactive judgments rather than deeper understanding.
Much of this stems from how the platforms are designed: they are optimized for just engagement. Is it possible to redesign or reimagine online spaces to promote genuine understanding between people?

Questions to ponder upon:
1. What emotional and cognitive ingredients are necessary for promoting empathy?
2. How might social media platforms be designed or optimized to foster empathy instead of outrage?
3. Could the structure of online conversations be changed to improve understanding among participants?
* Does structure of communication dictate societal temperament? Example - What if twitter had started off not as "140-character limit flat messages" but as a hierarchically-structured discourse"?
See: https://a9.io/glue-comic/