Ask HN: What is "next" for the internet?

Purely as a technological tool for human interaction, the internet allows human interaction at a level which is slightly below in-person face to face communication.

Now, imagine for a moment that all we're doing right now is using this technological tool purely for enjoyment. Just hanging out, kicking back, chatting with each other.

But what if we wanted to get to work? If we needed to work together on the important stuff - learning, teaching, working to make the future something we want to live in? Technology has an amazing ability to empower individuals; how might we harness and guide this ability?

So, how would we design a system/co-operative/community that would enable us to empower ourselves and others to enact a real positive change in the world?

I've been thinking about this, and believe an online-based co-operative business might be a possible solution. I have my thoughts, but I'm looking for a discussion on the topic. What solutions do you think there are for enabling positive change in the world, and how might we go about implementing them?