Well our final story tonight, spotlights a non-profit tackling one of today's toughest challenges division in the digital age.

While social media has brought people together, sharing memories and celebrating life's moments, it's also become a battleground where keyboard crusaders spread negativity and fuel division.

Are we really as far apart as it seems online?

Carolina Impact's Jason Terzis joins us to share how one local organization is working to bring real connection beyond the comment section.

- When it comes to political and social issues people's opinions run the gamut from the super conservative right to the super progressive left and all points in between.

But if you get into a one-on-one conversation with someone, even if their opinions are on the opposite end of the spectrum from your own, more often than not, you'll find some sort of common ground and that was the focus of The Longest Table.

(transition whooshing) - Good morning everybody and welcome to Truist Field home of the Charlotte Knights.

- [Jason] A Saturday at Truist Field, in uptown Charlotte.

Fans going through security, having their tickets scanned while a live band played on the concourse.

(pleasant music) (singer vocalizing) Just outside the stadium, the start finish line of a 5K, but inside, there were no ball players on the field or even fans in the stands.

- So this is our first time doing this.

It's the first that we hope will be many annual events.

- [Jason] About 1500 people coming out on this day.

Not to support the Charlotte Knights, but to support, well Charlotte.

- They've come together for brunch, but more importantly, they've come together not just to share a meal, but to gauge in dialogue.

We want people to ask questions, get to know one another, and really begin to build a shared vision for the greater Charlotte region.

(pleasant music) - [Jason] Organized by the United Way of Charlotte, the event was dubbed at The Longest Table.

Dozens of tables lined up, creating one gigantic table, stretching the length of the entire concourse, attendees enjoying a full brunch of fruit waffles and quiche, but most importantly, conversation.

- What inspired it is really this is reflective of what United Way does every day.

We bring people together, we listen deeply to everyone's opinions because we value those opinions and then we ask everyone to dream together about what's possible for the greater Charlotte region, and then we mobilize the people and the resources to bring that vision to reality.

- I think it's a great idea.

I think in the environment we in today, we need to have the conversations and sometimes we need to have the hard conversations, but we need to respect each other in the process of doing so.

- [Jason] The premise of the longest table, bring people from all walks of life together and to get to know strangers from other parts of town talk and more importantly listen about various issues with the goal of not necessarily agreeing, but understanding.

- I really believe that when people sit down and get to know one another, when we take time to understand where each other is coming from, we'll find out that we have a lot more in common than we do that's dissimilar, right?

We all want the same things for our families.

We all want the same things for our community, - But it doesn't make a difference about differences.

If we were all the same, we'd be a very bland society.

So, what if we have differences?

As long as we respect each other while we're communicating the differences, that's the best thing.

- [Jason] To keep the conversation moving, United Way poses a series of questions which were put up on the stadium's video board, open-ended questions like how do you define community?

- So what I was saying is I define community as fellowship and I said it could be your work community.

I said I have different communities, I have my work community, I also have my friend community and then I have my family.

And so sometimes they interact and sometimes they may not.

But altogether we are there for each other and that's what I view community as.

- The ability to have tolerance, the ability to have patience and the ability to be humane towards others and leave everything else that you got in here over here, okay, work with this and you'll all get along.

- [Jason] Other questions asked, have you or someone you know seized an opportunity because of a connection or relationship?

In what ways can we work together to ensure all have access to opportunities?

Think five years ahead, what would make you proud to be part of the Greater Charlotte community and how can you take action to support a neighbor's journey toward an impactful opportunity?

- I think we're more alike than different.

And so I think that's what needs to be the focus is on the positive versus the negative and on how we're more alike than we are different.

- [Jason] Regardless of where thoughts and opinions stood on the questions, attendees all seem to agree on at least one thing.

Our phones and the social media apps on it are big reason for the deepening divides facing us.

- I think a lot of the division, you know, we can speculate about where it comes from, but we spend a lot of time on social media and on our phones and we consume information in an echo chamber.

And what we're doing here today pulls everybody out of their echo chambers and ask them to engage in honest dialogue.

- [Jason] Also affecting people's thoughts according to those in attendance, the carryover effect from the COVID-19 pandemic when pretty much the whole world went remote, got online and for the most part never really got off.

- When COVID hit, everything changed.

Everybody decided to jump into these and they forgot how to do this, because everybody got hibernated and they got siloed, all of a sudden, your opinion is the most important, your thinking is the most important.

Anything outside of your home is insignificant and that's not right.

- [Jason] At the end of the two hour event, most people left with a sense of it's okay to see things differently and it's okay to have different opinions.

It's all part of what makes us unique.

- I am confident that if we come together as a community, we can create a path to opportunity for everyone who lives in this region.

- We may not like each other, we may not care for each other, but sooner or later we all bleed red, and we may need each other.

And that's the whole thing.

- What an awesome story.

And as I understand, there's another Longest Table in the works.

- Yes, so they're already making the plans for next year and that was before this year's event even happened.

Organizers were already working on the details for next year's event, which is set for Saturday, September 26th.

So I think just the lead up to this and the number of people that expressed interest in coming to the event, they're like, "Okay, this is gonna be, we're gonna be able to pull this off and have a good event up to 1500 people.

So like let's get the plans going ready for next year."