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Differential social media affordances: an actor type-centric, intermediate-level approach using the case of social movements

Christian Baden et al.

Communication Theory2025https://doi.org/10.1093/ct/qtaf030article
ABDC A
Weight
0.37

Abstract

Social media have profoundly changed social communication practices across a vast range of contexts. To theorize these changes, numerous authors have proposed digital affordances as a conceptual lens. Yet, to date, most accounts of digital affordances either gloss broadly over cross-platform or use-dependent differences in practices; or they are highly context-specific, obstructing theoretical integration. In this article, we conceptualize social media affordances on an intermediate level of abstraction that foregrounds consequential differences in how digital social media platforms structure social communication practices. Focusing on the characteristic communication needs of social movements as an exemplary case, we identify how social media platforms present users with differential affordances for articulating public claims, building collective identities, and mobilizing contentious performances. We examine how key contextual conditions alter the value of differential affordances, potentially resulting in differential communication practices and platform preferences. We conclude by discussing key opportunities of our approach for comparative research and theory building.

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https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1093/ct/qtaf030

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@article{christian2025,
  title        = {{Differential social media affordances: an actor type-centric, intermediate-level approach using the case of social movements}},
  author       = {Christian Baden et al.},
  journal      = {Communication Theory},
  year         = {2025},
  doi          = {https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1093/ct/qtaf030},
}

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Evidence weight

0.37

Balanced mode · F 0.40 / M 0.15 / V 0.05 / R 0.40

F · citation impact0.16 × 0.4 = 0.06
M · momentum0.53 × 0.15 = 0.08
V · venue signal0.50 × 0.05 = 0.03
R · text relevance †0.50 × 0.4 = 0.20

† Text relevance is estimated at 0.50 on the detail page — for your query’s actual relevance score, open this paper from a search result.