Crank Up the Volume
Unpacking “Amplify Others” from your Personal Power Playbook
Hey there BΛDΛZZ,
You know that old criticism about “preaching to the choir”? Well, someone once told me, “that’s how you make them sing.” That person understood something profound about how movements actually work that many people miss entirely. Movements aren’t built by converting opponents; they’re built by activating allies.
The Courage Contagion (When One Voice Unleashes Many)
Here’s something beautiful about human psychology: when someone else speaks up first, it gives the rest of us permission to do the same. Think about it. How many times have you been in a meeting where everyone’s thinking the same thing, but nobody wants to be the first to say the emperor has no clothes? Then one brave soul speaks up, and suddenly everyone’s got opinions. That’s the power of amplification. Your voice doesn’t just carry your message, it creates space for other voices to join the chorus.
I’ve seen this play out countless times. When someone posts a well-reasoned critique of a problematic policy, the comments section often fills with people saying “Thank you for putting into words what I’ve been feeling” or “I’ve been thinking the same thing but didn’t know how to say it.” Your willingness to amplify that original voice – through a share, a thoughtful comment, or even just a like – helps create that permission structure for others.
Beyond “Slactivism”: Why Digital Amplification Actually Matters (Yes, Really)
Let’s address the elephant in the room: the criticism that clicking “like” or sharing a hashtag is somehow lesser than “real” activism. This dismissive attitude toward digital engagement as “slactivism” is not only wrong, it’s dangerously exclusionary and frankly, more than a little elitist.
If we insist that taking to the streets is the only legitimate form of protest, we’re essentially telling millions of people that their circumstances don’t matter. The single parent who can’t arrange childcare for a weekend rally. The person with mobility issues who can’t stand for hours. The essential worker who can’t take time off. The person living in a community where showing up physically will likely put their safety at risk. Basically, we’re saying “Sorry, your disability/job/life situation means you don’t get to participate in democracy. Thanks for playing!”
Digital activism isn’t a consolation prize. It’s a different lane of the same highway, and we need all lanes open if we want maximum impact. (Maybe it’s just me, but excluding people from civic engagement seems counterproductive.)
Here’s what the critics miss: digital activism has transformed the way events, protests and movements are organized, helping to mobilize supporters and raise awareness of a diverse range of causes.
When the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge used coordinated digital amplification to go viral – generating 17 million videos viewed 10 billion times by over 440 million people – that wasn’t just empty virtue signaling. It raised $115 million in eight weeks for ALS research, leading to the discovery of five new genes connected to ALS, two new FDA-approved treatments, and a doubling of multidisciplinary ALS clinics from 100 to over 220.
When Amber Alerts and missing person cases go viral through coordinated sharing and amplification, that digital engagement saves lives. The systematic amplification of these urgent posts has helped locate countless missing children and adults by expanding search areas far beyond traditional media reach. Digital amplification didn’t replace “on the ground” action – it made that action possible on a scale that would have been impossible without it.
The Algorithm Game: Making Your Amplification Count
Now let’s get strategic about this. Since we’re living in an algorithm-driven world, we need to understand how these systems work if we want our amplification efforts to actually reach people beyond our immediate circles.
Social media algorithms are basically giant sorting machines designed to show people content they’re likely to engage with. The key factors they consider include engagement (likes, comments, shares), content relevance to the user’s interests, your relationship with the poster, and timing. Engagement quality matters more than quantity.
At the same time, algorithm suppression is real. Whether it’s intentional political censorship or unintended consequences of engagement-driven systems, many voices – particularly those challenging power structures – find their reach mysteriously throttled. The platforms’ explanations about “reducing divisive content” often feel like corporate-speak when you’re the one being silenced.
But rather than getting stuck debating the platforms’ intentions, let’s focus on what actually works to break through these barriers. This means your amplification strategy needs to be both active and authentic. Instead of waiting for important content to show up in your feed, you need to actively seek it out. Go directly to the profiles of voices (both individuals and organizations) you want to support.
Here’s why this direct approach is so powerful: algorithms prioritize content from accounts you regularly interact with, so consistent engagement over time builds that crucial relationship signal. When you go directly to someone’s profile and engage regularly, you’re telling the algorithm “this voice matters to me,” which helps both combat suppression and ensures you actually see their content instead of relying on algorithmic delivery.
The timing element is real but nuanced. Early engagement can help, but sustained engagement over the first few hours often matters more than being first. Comments that spark replies carry more algorithmic weight than simple likes, and shares with added context perform better than bare reshares. The most effective approach combines strategic persistence with community building – creating engagement patterns that are harder for algorithms to ignore or suppress.
The “Amplify Others” Strategy: Your Tactical Toolkit
Ready to become a strategic amplifier? Here are approaches that actually move the needle:
1. The Smart Share (Quality Over Quantity Broadcasting)
Tactic: Amplify strategically with context and commentary
Don’t just hit the share button and move on. When you amplify someone’s voice, add your own perspective to help it land with your specific audience:
Explain why the issue matters to your community
Add local context to national issues
Translate complex policy-speak into everyday language
Share your personal connection to the cause
Example: When Michael saw a policy expert’s thread about voting rights legislation, he didn’t just repost it. He added his own comment: “This is why my 89-year-old neighbor had to wait three hours to vote last year. These aren’t abstract policy debates. They’re about real people in our community.” His addition helped the original thread reach people who might have scrolled past dry policy analysis but connected with the human story.
2. The Echo Effect (Coordinated Amplification Without Coordination)
Tactic: Build organic momentum through strategic timing and consistency
This isn’t about organizing artificial engagement, but about being strategic in how you participate in existing conversations:
Follow hashtags related to your priority issues and engage regularly
Set up alerts for key voices so you can amplify their content quickly
Share others’ content during peak hours when your audience is active
Screenshot important threads to share in group chats, text messages, or other platforms
Example: Taylor created a private list on Bluesky of local activists and checked it daily during her lunch break. When she saw important content, she’d engage immediately while it was fresh, and she would share key points on other platforms. Her engagement helped these posts gain the initial momentum needed to break through algorithm barriers and reach wider audiences.
3. The Microphone Pass (Elevating Underrepresented Voices)
Tactic: Actively seek out and amplify voices that are often marginalized
Use your platform – however small – to lift up voices that might otherwise be drowned out:
Follow and regularly amplify content from people directly affected by the issues you care about
Share content from organizations led by impacted communities
When commenting, ask questions that invite further discussion rather than just agreeing
Use your reach (geographic, demographic, professional) to amplify voices that might face more resistance
Example: As a well-established professional with a large LinkedIn network, James made it a point to regularly share content from younger professionals and people from communities most affected by the policies he cared about. Rather than just posting his own thoughts, he often shared others’ content first, adding his own professional context to help their voices reach policy-makers and industry leaders who might not otherwise encounter their perspectives.
4. Digital Organizing (When the Streets Meet the Screens)
Tactic: Use digital amplification to support real-world action
Bridge the false divide between online and offline activism:
Share content about local events and actions
Use social media not only to organize large-scale actions, but also to document them
Create shareable graphics with key information about upcoming actions
Amplify calls for specific actions (call campaigns, petition signings, voter registration)
Example: During a local school board controversy, Ana used her social media to amplify the voices of students and teachers directly affected by proposed budget cuts. She live-posted during board meetings, shared students’ testimonies, and helped parents coordinate their attendance at hearings. Her digital amplification didn’t replace in-person action – it made the in-person action more effective by ensuring broader community awareness and participation.
Putting It Into Practice: Your “Amplify Others” Action Plan
Stop refreshing your feed hoping someone else will step up. Here’s your escalating plan to become a strategic amplifier, starting immediately:
TODAY: Identify five voices in your priority issue area that you want to amplify regularly. Follow them across platforms, turn on notifications if needed, and engage with their next three posts. Don’t just hit like. Comment thoughtfully, share with context, and help their content reach new audiences.
THIS WEEK: Create a daily habit of intentional amplification. Spend 10 minutes each day actively seeking out and engaging with content from voices you want to support, rather than just responding to what appears in your algorithmic feed. Track how this changes what content you see over time.
NEXT WEEK: Take on an amplification project. Choose one important but underexposed issue or voice and commit to helping them reach a broader audience. Create original content that highlights their work (make sure to include attribution!), organize others to engage with their content, or help translate their message for a new audience. Document the impact of your efforts.
Democracy Needs Amplifiers, Not Just Speakers
Our democratic systems are only as strong as the voices participating in them. But participation isn’t just about speaking up yourself – it’s about ensuring that the full range of voices gets heard, especially those that powerful interests would prefer to keep quiet.
When you amplify others strategically and consistently, you’re not just being a good ally – you’re ensuring that decisions get made with input from all stakeholders, not just the loudest or most favored voices in the room. (You know, the ones who always somehow manage to find their way to the microphone at every public meeting.)
The beautiful thing about amplification is that it creates a productive cycle. The more you elevate others’ voices, the more they’re empowered to keep speaking up. And when they speak up more, it makes it easier for others to find their voices too. Before you know it, you’ve helped create a whole ecosystem of engaged voices instead of a few people shouting into the void.
Every time you thoughtfully share someone’s content, every time you add context that helps their message land with a new audience, every time you use your platform to lift up someone who might not otherwise be heard – you’re exercising power! You’re choosing what conversations happen and who gets to participate in them. (And unlike some people with enormous platforms that will remain nameless, you’re using yours responsibly.)
That’s not slactivism, BΛDΛZZ. That’s democracy in action.
What voices do you want to amplify? Have you seen the power of strategic amplification in your own community?
If you missed previous editions in this series:
P.S. Speaking of amplification. If this newsletter helped you think differently about amplifying others or gave you practical strategies you can use, I’d be incredibly grateful if you’d amplify it. Like this post, share it with someone who needs to see it, and drop a comment with your thoughts. Your engagement doesn’t just help me know this content is valuable, it helps the algorithm show it to other people who might benefit from reclaiming their personal power. Democracy isn’t a spectator sport, and neither is building the community of engaged citizens our republic desperately needs. (Also, the algorithm gods demand tribute, and I’d rather feed them meaningful engagement than whatever fresh hell they’re serving up in everyone’s feeds today.)
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