Reading news stories about Grumpy Cat and Miley Cyrus can now be a charitable cause, thanks to Ryot News and actor Ian Somerhalder.
The social startup is working to engage its readers so that breaking news — and even viral cat and celebrity content — can directly lead to a rise in social activism.
They call it "becoming the news."
Ryot works very similarly to any news blog, posting content created by its own reporters and citizen journalists, and aggregating articles from the Associated Press and Reuters, explained Ryot's founders David Darg and Bryn Mooser at Mashable's Social Good Summit.
See also: How to Follow Social Good Summit Online
The difference between Ryot and a traditional journalism outlet, though, comes with its push of social causes. Each story leads to an "action box," prompting readers to sign petitions, donate money or simply send a tweet regarding the issues mentioned in the article. For instance, a story on a Kenyan terrorist attack suggests readers donate to the Kenyan Red Cross.
A percentage of ad revenue from the site's traffic also goes to a weekly featured non-profit.
"It's hard to get people interested in wells in Ghana," Darg said. "So we flip it on its head, and we harness news and what people are interested in today, and then back flow to the causes."
Mooser adds that while other news networks have a "one-way flow" that leaves you feeling helpless and angry after reading stories, Ryot tries to capitalize on those emotions for a purpose.
Somerhalder's contribution to Ryot comes with his his extensive social media reach. He boasts more than four million Twitter followers, the bulk of which are Millennials — a group he holds in high regard.
"[Millennials] are an impressive generation," Somerhalder said. "They don't just talk the talk, they walk the walk."
Somerhalder also said he feels a responsibility to call people to action, relaying information and articles that resonate with him, using the social network he's sustained from his profession.
"If you have a microphone that's plugged into an amplifier, it's wrong of you not to sing," Somerhalder said.

The Social Good Summit is where big ideas meet new media to create innovative solutions and is brought to you by Mashable, The 92nd Street Y, The United Nations Foundation, The United Nations Development Programme, The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and Ericsson. Held during U.N. Week, the Social Good Summit unites a dynamic community of global leaders to discuss a big idea: the power of innovative thinking and technology to solve our greatest challenges.
Date: Sept. 22 through Sept. 24 Time: 12 to 6 p.m. each day Location: 92nd Street Y, 1395 Lexington Ave., New York, N.Y. Tickets are sold-out, but tune into the Livestream.
BONUS: 10 Empowering Apps for Social Good
Gone are the days of daring your friends without consequences. When you challenge your friends to Budge, the person who loses the challenge needs to donate an agreed upon amount to a charity of the winner's choosing.
Available on iOS.
Charity Miles lets you raise money for your favorite causes while walking, running or biking. The app's corporate sponsors donate 25 cents for each mile you walk or run, and 10 cents for each mile you bike.
Charity Miles is available for iOS and Android.
With every photo you share, Johnson & Johnson donates $1 to a cause of your choosing. The Donate a Photo app, available on iOS and Android, also lets you follow your friends' photos, so you can keep up with your social life.
Great for foodies, photographers and humanitarians, this iOS app adds a great cause to your foodstagrams. When you dine and snap a food shot at one of the participating restaurants -- which, for now, are only in New York -- a meal is donated to a non-profit feeding schoolchildren in South Africa.
In this free iOS game, you'll travel with Maya, an Indian girl, as she navigates the slums in search of clean water. The longer it takes her to find water, the more school she misses.
The game was created in partnership with charity: water, which lends in-game missions and video scenes to the app.
Did you know that with the money you save cooking three of your own meals, you could fund someone's HIV medicine for three months? Instead is an iOS app that shows you how much you can save with simple tweaks in your lifestyle. Once you make those cheaper decisions, Instead encourages you to donate to a non-profit out of your savings.
My Life as a Refugee is an app for iOS and Android created by the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). It lets anyone around the world experience life fleeing from conflict or persecution. Through beautiful illustrations, you'll read the stories of the app's many characters, who have been separated from their loved ones and have experienced hardships.
The Recyclebank app, available for iOS and Android, rewards you for recycling. The gamification of recycling awards points that you can redeem in stores and in the app.
Forget daily deal apps -- there are apps that give back while giving you a great deal. TangoTab, available for iOS and Android, donates meals to food banks every time a diner purchases one of its restaurant deals.
Eager for a new volunteer program? This iOS app brings the online volunteer network onto your smartphone. It has a sleek interface that will help you find great opportunities to give back near you.
VolunteerMatch lets you select which skill you're looking to use to volunteer, so you can lend your expert web design or managerial skills, for example.
Image: Mashable