​10 Times The Internet Wasn't Such A Bad Place After All​

There's more to the World Wide Web than just trolls. Here's some definitive proof that kindness is all around us — even online.

1. When the internet raised $200,000 for a man who walked 21 miles to and from work each day.

Rebecca Cook / Reuters

Detroit resident James Robertson, 56 years old, walked 21 miles to and from work each day. When his story appeared on a local news site, a stranger saw it and decided to help Robertson. Evan Leedy set up a GoFundMe attempting to raise money to buy a car for Robertson. The goal was to earn $5,000, but thanks to strangers online from all over the world, he ended up earning over $350,000.

2. When strangers fulfilled a mourning father's Photoshop request.

Marie Waldmann / Getty Images

Due to medical complications, Nathan Steffel's daughter Sophia passed away at only 6 weeks old. Steffel took to Reddit, where he had one request: Could somebody please Photoshop the medical tubing from the only photo of his daughter? The results were incredible, beautiful, and heartwarming.

3. When one woman's kindness (and Facebook) reunited a couple with their lost wedding ring.

Derek Gavey / (CC BY http://2.0) / Via Flickr: derekgavey

When Jenna Birchim found a ring on the shore at Ellwood Beach, where she lived, she immediately posted it to Facebook. It read: "Let's see if we can find the owner of this wedding band I found today ... There is an inscription on the inside 'my love, my life, my lobster.'" The post was shared over 25,000 times and four days later, the ring was back in the hands of its rightful owners — Sarah and Greg Lindsay, who had lost it over two years prior!

4. When hundreds of strangers showed up to the funeral of a veteran.

Darren Staples / Reuters

When 99-year-old Royal Air Force veteran Harold Jellicoe Percival passed away in 2013, he had no close family members who were able to attend his funeral. His local newspaper issued a call for strangers to attend, and it was picked up on social media. The result? Over 200 strangers showed up to remember Percival and his accomplishments.

5. When this social experiment worked.

Cultura RM/Dean Northcott

In the documentary Craigslist Joe, 29-year-old Joseph Garner set out to live 31 days and nights in December surviving only on the kindness of strangers, and it worked. He left behind his money and all his possessions and used Craigslist to find people who would be willing to help him get by.

6. When one celebrity's tweet inspired locals in Rome to clean up their city.

ANDREAS SOLARO/AFP / Getty Images

The city of Rome has long been embroiled in criticism around its garbage system, which has been labeled corrupt, resulting in trash that piles up on the streets. But a tweet from actor Alessandro Gassmann calling people to "arm ourselves with broom, wallet, and a trash bag and each one of us should clean up their own little corner of the city," inspired locals. They're now tweeting photos of their efforts to clean up Rome with the hashtag #Romasonoio, meaning "I am Rome."

7. When a teen’s poem inspired millions.

Ronnie Joice @ronniejoice

01:10 PM - 22 Jul 2015

According to the New York Post, Brooklyn resident Chanie Gorkin wrote this poem for a class assignment and submitted it to PoetryNation.com. Somebody in London printed it out and posted it on the wall of a concert hall, where it was photographed and proceeded to be viewed millions of times online (including over 1.4 million times on Imgur), as well as being translated into several languages.

8. When this man did a kind deed for a total stranger.

facebook.com

facebook.com

Last year, Cara Duggan's mother was diagnosed with stage 4 esophageal cancer. One of the best ways for her to get her nutrition is with a NutriBullet, a product that costs around $200. So Duggan went online and found one in London, but had to convince the owner to post it to her hometown of Belfast. When the gentleman heard her story, he bought her a new NutriBullet and had it waiting for her at a store in her town.

9. When the internet set out to find a mystery couple.

Taylor Katz FOX 13 @Tvkatz

THIS! Woman seeks mystery couple after capturing pics of their Eiffel Tower engagement! http://t.co/WnCCUMq53R

01:45 PM - 29 Jun 2015

In June of this year, Jen Bohn was vacationing in Paris and happened to take some photos of a couple getting engaged on the Eiffel Tower. Bohn posted the photos to Facebook, hoping somebody would be able to help her find the couple so she could send them the photos. It's been shared over 175,000 times but the couple has yet to be found!

10. And every day on the nicest place online.

youtube.com / Via Creative Commons

The Nicest Place on the Internet is exactly what it claims to be. Strangers from all over the world upload hugs and kind messages to help each other through hard times. Videos play on a constant loop with accompanying music, and anybody can submit their own hug. Now if that's not the sweetest dang thing ever, we don't know what is.