#NoBanNoWall: The Executive Order Protests, Connective Action, and Anti-Geopolitics on Twitter

This study explores how networked publics collectively negotiate boundary-setting practices of the state, via digital networking tools. Specifically, this research examines the #NoBanNoWall hashtag on Twitter, used predominantly from January 24 to February 6, 2017, during a series of protests against the signing of Executive Orders No. 13,767 — 13,769. Using semantic and social network analysis methodologies, this study traces the networked framing activities and prominent channels of distribution embedded within the #NoBanNoWall Twitter stream. Results of this study demonstrate how walls emerge as discursive signifiers within networked publics, including the affective narratives surrounding networked discourse and the intermediaries responsible for their amplification. As well, results reveal the underlying structures of connective action present within the #NoBanNoWall network. Complementing previous research of digitally-networked protest and social movements, which focus on digital platforms’ ability to connect, this research considers the forces that divide.