[imjustsaying]

Open source development, editing public wikis, and making useful Youtube videos don't ever seem ever seem to be mentioned or recognized as volunteering, even though its beneficial impacts on society can be much larger per time spent.

Why isn't this form of volunteering recognized or promoted as such? Are the people who trumpet the benefits of volunteering (often teachers, academic administrators) simply behind the times, or is this simply not the kind of volunteering that these kinds of people themselves enjoy?

I am led to believe that it's not just that they're behind the times, but that it can be explained by a personality preference. After all, publishing research papers that provide a public benefit has been around a long time, but this is never mentioned as a form of volunteering.

Is volunteering in the visible social sense simply more tangible and understandable, hence its broader adoption than behind-the-scenes volunteering that can provide a greater benefit? Society's tendency to pressure smart people to undergo visible demonstrations of virtue rather than undertake activities that provide a net greater good has bothered me for a long time.

[kahrkunne]

I think people tend not to think of editing Wikipedia as a long term time investment. YouTube videos don't feel like volunteering to me because more often than not it's a job. And open source development probably just wouldn't occur to most people because most people aren't developers.