What do carbon emissions and chicken sandwiches have in common? Do we participate in the marketplace as purely rational, self-interested individuals only maximizing our utility? How much do our values play a role in influencing our economic behavior?

Economic offsets are a way the market can account for the roles values play in our economic decisions. Social media is making this possible in ways never before realized.

If you have heard of an offset, it was probably related to climate change. Consumers concerned about climate change can help offset their carbon footprint by engaging in an economic activity that benefits the environment. If you fly to Pamplona to run with the bulls, you can plant a tree or install a solar panel from your rooftop once you return. Clearly these small “offsets” are a drop in the bucket toward mitigating greenhouse gasses, but they do serve a greater purpose. Offsetting lets you send a signal through the marketplace about what you think is right and what you think is wrong—you’re voting with a conscientious dollar.

Offsetting is a potentially powerful mechanism for expressing morality within the marketplace. This mechanism exists in two realms. One is the physical realm, and the other is the untapped universe expanding through social media. You express your values in the physical sense within the marketplace when you step out of your Prius at the pump, feet clad in a pair of TOMS as you reach into your FEED bag to retrieve your credit card (tied to a green charity) to gas up. Physical branding existed well before it became a cause. Now, the digital realm itself is morphing into a physical brand: your values are evidenced by the pages you “like” and who you follow on Twitter.

Social media has the potential to take economic offsetting to a heretofore unseen level. Consider the controversy surrounding antigay remarks from the founder of the Chick-Fil-A restaurant chain (as well as its HR and contributions policies). Washington, D.C. lawyer Ted Frank created a website that allows those who enjoy the product but are concerned about supporting the company to assuage their guilt. Once you purchase an "offset" you can print a receipt to "demonstrate to your friends that the money you gave for LGBT youth more than compensates for the profits you put in Chick-fil-A’s coffers." What if this receipt was easily digitized, easily added to your Facebook wall? It could become a convenient way to display your own personal brand through your socially motivated economic activity, potentially revolutionizing the way we develop norms within our society.

Social media is opening up a brave new world for offsets. Where will they go next? Look to the headlines.