What is being described here is this phenomenon: when certain information or knowledge is revealed, published, or spread, people develop an intense emotional resonance with a group, circle, or even society at large, and this resonance is accompanied by the generation of enormous energy, which manifests in various forms. Behind this, a set of underlying principles can be traced. First, we need to clarify two concepts: shared knowledge and common knowledge.
Shared knowledge is knowledge that everyone knows, but you don't know that I know, and I don't know that you know.
Common knowledge is knowledge that everyone knows, and everyone knows that everyone knows it.
Correspondingly, there are also two concepts at the informational level: shared information and common information. The reason resonant energy can be triggered is actually that a portion of shared information or knowledge is made public and transformed into common information or knowledge. The enormous energy released during this transformation can be expressed in a way similar to a chemical equation.
So we know that when a politician voices what many voters hope for in a campaign speech, they will win a great many votes afterward by speaking to what is in voters’ hearts. When stand-up comedians use clever language and delivery to reveal details of everyday life that each of us knows about, but is unsure whether others know about, they earn thunderous applause. When a film or TV series accurately portrays some aspect of ordinary people’s lives and presents scenes we long for, it wins box office success, acclaim, and widespread recommendations. Short videos and social media posts can go viral simply by capturing little details we have all noticed but do not know others have noticed, or by articulating strong shared emotions we have yet to express. This is the energy unleashed by revealing shared information and turning it into public information.
A moving story or a memorable slogan can awaken the hopes and dreams of the masses and set off a sweeping wave that defines an era. All of this stems from the same underlying mechanism: the release of energy through resonance. Once we understand the mechanism, we can put it to use. How, exactly? There are several steps to deliberately triggering this release of energy through resonance.
First, cultivate shared knowledge by fostering or going through similar experiences within a small group or a particular circle. This is why leaders who come from a particular circle often win more support within it than outsiders brought in to lead. This is how energy is built up.
Second, discover shared knowledge. First, reflect on your own past experiences to gain personal insights, then through one-on-one probing exchanges, confirm whether this knowledge or information most likely belongs to shared knowledge. This is the process of confirming energy,
Third, reveal this shared knowledge. Organize the way the knowledge or information is expressed, and reveal it at the right time in public settings or on platforms to gain widespread resonance and exchange for energy that benefits you. This is the process of letting energy burst forth,
Fourth, become common knowledge. After everyone has resonated through discussion and sharing, shared knowledge becomes common knowledge, and once the energy is fully released, things return to calm. This is the process of energy balancing,
Fifth, gain new insights into new common knowledge. Once this common knowledge is widely accepted, it will still be digested within the designated circle or field, community, or society into new experiences for each individual. These new experiences are a breeding ground for cultivating new shared knowledge, preparing for the next burst of energy—for example, things like creating derivative memes. This is the process of drawing in resonant energy again
However, special attention should be paid here: to ensure the energy burst benefits you, we need to identify which stage between shared and common a piece of knowledge or information is in. When information or knowledge is in the fully shared stage—that is, the stage where no one knows that others know—revealing it will produce the first round of energy burst, which is often the most intense, but the intensity also depends on the revealer's personal manner of expression, fame, and platform influence, among other factors.
Even after the first revelation, this knowledge does not become entirely public knowledge. It occupies a semi-shared, semi-public stage somewhere between being fully shared and fully public. In other words, it may become public knowledge among some groups, while another group may not receive it in time and remains in the shared-knowledge stage. It may take several more rounds of amplification or a longer time for the information to reach them. So this stage still contains energy that can be activated—for example, reposting online articles, reuploading videos, and sharing juicy gossip. This is very common across society at large.
Finally, when this knowledge or information is very close to becoming public—when only a very small number of people still don’t know, others do, and most people know it and know that others know it—you should be cautious about trying to gain energy by revealing it. At this stage, it may not generate much energy. On the contrary, more people may think you’re out of date, old-fashioned, and uninformed, putting you in an awkward position.
Therefore, when deciding to reveal some knowledge or information, it is very important to understand what stage it is at, so you don’t try to show off and end up having it backfire. New information emerges every day, and new knowledge builds on old knowledge, constructing an ever-expanding, ceilingless wireless worksite for us. So information gaps will always exist, and that gap is the energy we want.