Entangling and Coalescing on Social Media: A Study of Issue Boundary Spanning in Movement of Movements

ABSTRACT

This study examines how issues across boundaries influence contention dynamics in a movement of movements on social media. Participants utilize social media to support or oppose goals and actions related to their visions regarding societal changes. As the boundaries of movements are fluid on social media, we investigate the actors' identities, issues, and activities and how they interact with each other. We extend information systems theories of boundary spanning and conflict dynamics in social media and social movements literature to further understand how issues within and across boundaries influence contention dynamics in a movement of movements. We employed iterative qualitative and quantitative analyses using the computational theory construction approach to analyse social media messages from Twitter (now X) during a climate movement of movements. We identified key themes related to contention dynamics to understand how social media participants may collaborate or dispute with each other in movement of movements. Our model reveals the evolution of social media‐enabled association and contention dynamics of movement of movements and how the ideological differences arise when negotiation influences digital activism for climate‐related goals and resolutions. This paper contributes to the understanding of how issues spanning specific social movements can lead to both conflicts and synergies in a movement of movements.