The Algorithm Isn’t Your Ally

The Algorithm Isn’t Your Ally

⏱️ 4 min read

“If you're not paying for something, you're not the customer; you're the product being sold.”
- Andrew Lewis

TL;DR

Social media was supposed to bring us together. Instead, it’s made cause work more performative, more polarizing, and often more exhausting. The algorithm doesn’t care about your cause it cares about engagement. And outrage engages. If we want real change, we need tools designed for participation, not addiction.

When Social Media Hijacks Movements

In theory, social platforms should be a dream for activists and organizers: instant reach, shareable messages, network effects. And in the early days, they were.

But algorithms evolved. What once prioritized connection now rewards controversy. Social media companies learned that outrage, fear, and polarization keep people scrolling. So, they built feeds that favored performative content over meaningful content and movements got caught in the crossfire.

The result? Posts go viral while participation flatlines. Hashtags trend while voter turnout stays flat. People feel overwhelmed, angry, and confused and still somehow not involved.

The Metrics That Matter

Social media platforms optimize for attention, not impact. That means your post about a cause may be seen by thousands without leading to a single real-world action.

Movements aren’t built on likes. They’re built on labor. On effort. On actual decisions made and actions taken. But none of that shows up in your notifications.

If you’ve ever felt like you’re doing everything you can online and still making no difference, you’re not wrong. The system wasn’t built for what you’re trying to do.

Five Ways the Algorithm Works Against You

It Rewards Extremes

Nuance doesn’t trend. Posts that spark division or outrage are promoted over those that foster clarity or collaboration.

It Hides the Work

Logistical updates, policy details, and long-term goals rarely get surfaced. The algorithm sidelines strategy in favor of spectacle.

It Splinters Communities

What you see is curated for your past behavior, not collective reality. This isolates movements into silos and bubbles, undermining coalition-building.

It Creates Engagement Fatigue

The dopamine loop of likes and shares is addictive—but unsatisfying. Over time, people disengage entirely, feeling burned out or cynical.

It Doesn’t Track Real Impact

You can’t measure meaningful progress through views and retweets. The algorithm only cares that you stayed on the app not that your cause advanced.

What We’re Doing at LiveImpact.io

LiveImpact.io isn’t social media. It’s civic infrastructure.

We’re not chasing engagement - we’re tracking impact. Our platform helps you log, measure, and share the real-world actions you take in support of causes you care about. Voting. Donating. Protesting. Mutual aid. Sustainable choices.

You control how visible those actions are. Public or private. Solo or in a group. You get credit without having to perform. And you can finally see your contribution as part of a bigger picture.

Take Back Your Agency

You don’t have to play by the algorithm’s rules to make a difference. You don’t need to go viral to create momentum.

What you need is a tool that amplifies action not anxiety.

That’s what we’re building. And we need your help to get it off the ground.

Support the launch of LiveImpact.io with a one-time $10 contribution at https://www.gofundme.com/liveimpact.

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“Social media shows you what’s trending. LiveImpact.io shows you what’s working.”
- Rick Zwetsch