The Impact Channel and OurPlanet were created to increase

Hear the words of Tom Anderson, founder of the early digital gathering place: “The Impact Channel and OurPlanet were created to increase awareness of environmental and social causes within the MySpace community.” Though spoken of a platform now faded into memory, these words bear the essence of an eternal truth: that every tool of communication, whether carved on stone, written on parchment, or carried by the winds of the internet, can be harnessed to awaken the conscience of humanity.

The meaning of this quote lies in the recognition that the digital realm is not only for entertainment, for commerce, or for vanity—it is also a forge where the spirit of justice and stewardship may be shaped. When Anderson created the Impact Channel and OurPlanet, he sought to remind the millions who gathered on MySpace that the world beyond their screens was in peril, that forests, waters, and the forgotten poor called for their attention. It was a declaration that the virtual community could become a living community of action.

This is not new in the story of humankind. In ancient Athens, the agora—the marketplace where citizens gathered—was not merely for the exchange of goods but also of ideas. There, voices rose to defend justice, to question power, to call for reforms that shaped the city-state. Just as the agora became a place of civic duty, so Anderson sought to make MySpace more than a place of song and chatter; he sought to make it a digital agora, where awareness of environmental and social causes could inspire action.

Consider also the tale of the printing press. When Gutenberg’s invention spread across Europe, it was not only holy texts that were copied, but also pamphlets calling for justice, reforms, and revolutions. Ideas traveled farther and faster than ever before, toppling kings and awakening peoples. So too, the Impact Channel and OurPlanet reflected this ancient power reborn in a modern form: the ability to connect distant souls with the urgent cries of the earth and the oppressed, to stir them from silence into movement.

Yet Anderson’s vision also carries a warning. For every tool of communication can be used either for enlightenment or for distraction. Just as the printing press spread wisdom but also falsehoods, so too the digital realm may elevate noble causes or drown them beneath noise. The creation of spaces like OurPlanet is a call to choose deliberately: to use our voices and platforms not only for the trivial, but for what sustains life and dignity.

The lesson for us is timeless: wherever communities gather—whether in villages, cities, or online—let them not only exchange pleasures, but also raise their awareness of the world’s suffering and its needs. Each person must ask: how can I use my connections, my words, my presence, to amplify causes greater than myself? For only when awareness spreads does action follow, and only when action follows does healing come to earth and to society.

Practical action begins small. Share knowledge about the wounds of the planet. Support social causes that uplift the poor and defend the voiceless. Use every platform, from the smallest circle of friends to the vast reaches of the internet, as a place not only of consumption, but of creation and stewardship. Teach the young that the digital world is not a toy, but a tool—a forge of transformation.

Thus, let Tom Anderson’s words be remembered not as relics of a forgotten platform, but as prophecy. For in every age, the power of communication defines the destiny of peoples. If we use our channels for justice, if we lift high the banner of environmental and social awareness, then truly the digital age will be not a curse of distraction, but a blessing of renewal for the world and for generations yet to come.