.png){kind=icon}
.png){kind=icon}
Return
Latent communicative figurations: mapping quasi-visible strategic relational structures on Facebook
.png){kind=icon}
OA
AI
C
D
DOI：10.1080/1369118X.2026.2686314.png)
.png){kind=icon}
Original request for help.png){kind=icon}
Share.png){kind=icon}
Save
Abstract
En 中文
This study conceptualises latent communicative figurations, which are quasi-visible relational structures formed through social media affordances, for example as provided by partnership advertisement systems. We argue that latent communicative figurations are facilitated by platform affordances that enable the curation of visibility, allowing actors to form latent ties for mobilising partners to create and publish social media content that serve specific strategic interests. A systematic approach is proposed to map the positionality of two types of actors – partners (investors) and pages – who contribute to latent communicative figurations, situated between platform designers and the broader networked publics. A sample of branded Facebook posts related to renewable energy is used to construct four bi-partite networks, revealing the structure of latent relations and dominant actors within them. The results show the emergence of a primarily organisational and professional set of latent ties, which mobilises public reactions surrounding renewable energy. The results evidence a dual process of deinstitutionalisation and reinstitutionalisation where actors such as news media transition from their conventional roles to those that are demanded by profit-driven platform logics. The tensions inherent in this transition – where actors must balance the expectations of strategic partners against the public interest – reveal the fundamental antagonisms within networked social environments.
Keywords:
Social media
brand partnerships
latent interactions
communicative figurations
Journal
I
IF:
0
Papers:
134
Citations:
0
Organization
Cited Papers