People are willing to show support for social causes – provided they don't have to do much - and brands are finding new ways to tap into the strength of the herd. By re-engineering menial actions – from buying body lotion to having sex – there are ways to reward everyone.

Lying in his hospital bed, terminally ill teenager Stephen Sutton shared a photo on Facebook for his final week. A week later, he is still alive and has raised over £3 million for charity, showing the powerful effect of telling a personal story through social media.

From Just Giving Facebook updates to wearing H&M’s Conscious Collection, public displays of philanthropy have become a symbol of status. But does it really matter that these new do-gooders are motivated only by people seeing them do good if the outcome is still positive?

A new wave of technological advancements is making it easier than ever to plug into a techno-utopian automated lifestyle, as people increasingly expect to exchange minimum input for maximum output.