A marketer’s goal is to get an organization’s message to as many people as possible. One way that they do this is through the process of amplification. Much like an amp intensifies musical sound, message amplification seeks to intensify the receipt of a message by encouraging people to share it amongst their own contacts. Today this often happens on social media. As a brand’s message is posted and then shared by its followers, more people receive the communication; people who never would have followed the brand themselves hear the message as their friends share it.
Although message amplification was once only the concern of organizations and brand managers, now all of us are able to participate in this process. Social media constantly asks us “what’s on our mind?” and as we post we have the opportunity to have our words shared around the globe. This is a mighty force, and as Spider Man’s uncle reminds us “with great power comes great responsibility.” Often, however, we neglect to think of the power or the responsibility that comes from the ability to transmit a message that can be echoed around the globe. We hastily post our thoughts or share the latest takes for our favorite cultural commentator without considering whether it is a message worthy of our lasting association. Even more concerning, we don’t think whether it is a message that is worthy of a lasting association with our Savior. And as children who bear His Name, who are called to be His ambassadors, the words we share, the messages we amplify, are always a reflection of our relationship with Christ.
This should cause us to pause and think about whether we are amplifying those words that truly matter. Are our posts pointing people to Christ and the Good News of salvation through Him, or are we constantly writing about the concerns of this world, focusing people’s attention on the things that will not matter in a hundred years, let alone for eternity? Are we interacting with our brothers and sisters in Christ in a way that displays the unity that we find in Him, or are we consistently sowing discord and disdain, acting more like the Hatfields and McCoys than individuals who have been redeemed by unmerited grace? Do the voices we promote exalt our Lord, or are they trumpeting their own concerns and interests focused on seeking the treasures of this life? Is what we amplify glorifying our Savior or detracting from Him?
These are hard questions. The reason that many of us may struggle with answering them is that we have come to think of social media and other communication avenues as “our” platforms. But for the Christian everything we have, every gift we have been given, every tool we use, every connection, and every opportunity to promote a message, should be about glorifying Christ; He went to the cross for us, our right response is to sacrifice all that is “ours” for Him. Amplifying that which has eternal significance is one way we do this, because in doing so, we point a watching (and reading) world to our Savior.
