Signal boosting: how to share information content on social networks

In recent months i social network they have become a very fertile ground for activism and consolidate specific communities, a social fact that deserves an active role on the part of all. The use of Instagram has changed a lot since its launch. While it remains the preferred platform for sharing photos, it has become a tool for informing.

Especially after the protests against racial injustice and George Floyd’s death, people have turned to social media to learn about topics and stories they didn’t even know they were missing.

Thus were born the “Infographic influencers”, as they might be called, leaders of essential and educational information that aims to explain phenomena, concepts and words after carefully filtering the contents.

Even without being a creator, everyone can be active in sharing informational content. As? Simply knowing how to spread the message efficiently and effectively, so as to spread the word on useful topics. Is called «Signal boosting», literally potentially of the signal, and consists in republishing content on one’s profile in such a way as to increase its viral power.

It’s very intuitive, just do a simple repost. Yes, it is true, but there is a way and way to do it to achieve the goal and minimize the dispersion of the message.

GUIDE

Instagram albums, which allow you to upload up to 10 photos, allow you to divide informative topics with engaging layouts to explain serious topics. Their highly digestible formatting makes it easy for users to read, reflect and share in minutes. And because guides are so easily shareable, they have the power to raise awareness on pressing matters and can also serve as a jumping off point for anyone looking to further educate themselves. Synthetic and shareable guides fight widespread disinformation.

For example, Jess, 27, a freelance marketing consultant living in Brooklyn, New York, opened the popular Instagram account @soyouwanttotalkabout in late February 2020 while volunteering for Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders’ campaign. Since her first Sanders guide, Jess has provided followers with information on everything from general pandemic-related concerns like anxiety and social distancing to political issues like climate change, cannabis legalization, and gun control. He went on to create more than 150 guides and now has 2 million followers.

#passthemic, Pass the microphone

That is, make the voice heard for the people who promote change. In other words, instead of posting outrageous comments about an injustice towards a community, it makes more sense to share and give space to their words. For example, as did Julia Roberts who invited Dr. Anthony Fauci on her social profiles to fight disinformation on COVID-19.

MENTION THE SOURCE, ALWAYS

The goal is signal boosting, which is why it is essential to insert the credits, citing the original source. You can do it with tags and with the mention in the caption. This will make it easier for followers to get to the message to learn more.

DO NOT DO AUTOMATIC REPOST

It is not enough to click and share something that everyone is posting with a kind of mental automatism. The most striking example is the black square in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement. An action with a positive intent but which unfortunately did not hit the target. In retrospect, in fact, it was understood that these empty squares labeled “BlackLivesMatter” clogged the research necessary for the exchange of information and expert black activists stressed the need for action, not just gestures. Sometimes you need to get out of your own perspective.

HASHTAG HOW TO

Beware of hashtags, they must be appropriate, essential in order not to risk being misleading or too generic.

LINK IN BIO

Once we open the profile, we often forget that in the bio there is the possibility to share links. Here, that link could refer to a topic of particular interest at that time, the review of a book for example.