The fictitious “Social Utility Network” or "SUN” for short, is a grassroots, local-community-based initiative dedicated to service, civic responsibility, participation, wellness, activism, education, and sustainability. The SUN is specifically geared toward “ground level” action in physical communities living in close proximity, yet still has the ability to connect with other communities online and across the globe once on the network.
The target audience for the initial SUN initiative will be community participants who feel local government and municipalities aren’t doing enough and want to take the well-being of their community back into their own hands to help make it thrive. Ideally, the initial target audience will be those citizens in the community holding a degree of influential social capital whether it be students or retirees 18 years old and up. And we all have social capital.
“Think globally, act locally” is a common phrase used by well-intentioned activists and city planners alike. Key word here being, “act.” Still, the well-intentioned phrase is meaningless without specific action. This idea supposes there is a need for a concentrated, smaller-scale, strictly local-community-based social network focused on getting members out from their dwellings, out from behind a “screen,” and into the public space with the goal of participation in specific actions to improve their community.
The SUN initiative seeks to unite local, like-minded individuals with ideal skill sets for specific tasks, both skilled and otherwise. While other social networks may connect individuals based on interests, the SUN initiative aims to bridge the gap between “interest and action,” by introducing fully-vetted, and authenticated members to one another first via the network and then offline, at a task-oriented occasion in the community, whether it be voting or cleaning up a park. The SUN initiative is a purpose-oriented platform specifically aimed at small-scale, neighborly, local community action.