Fast-moving isn't heavy. How to tell a story that's spreading from a story that matters.
Engagement algorithms have one physics: speed. A story spreading fast is 'big' by definition, because spreading is the thing being measured. But a celebrity feud spreads faster than a quiet appropriations rider that reroutes billions — and only one of them touches your life.
GRAVITY, this site's algorithm, deliberately splits the two: velocity is just one signal of five, capped, alongside consequence (people touched, how directly, how long) and power (is institutional power being exercised or checked). The math is public at /gravity — and tunable, so you can feel the difference yourself.
For any roaring story, ask: Will this matter in 30 days? and To how many people, how directly? A story can fail both and still be fun — fine, enjoy it in the Lobby. The mistake isn't reading light news; it's letting speed impersonate weight.
The clearest tell of a velocity-only story: it vanishes. No resolution, no follow-up, no consequences — it just stops moving and the feed forgets it existed. Heavy stories end differently: with outcomes. (That's why this site runs the Third Act — stories here close, RESOLVED or FADED, on the record.)
Tonight, pick the loudest story of the day and set a 30-day reminder. When it fires, check: did it matter? Keep score. Your feed never will.
Share this lesson freely — the method only works if it spreads. Watch it in action on the live Wire, where every rank shows this exact work.