A double movement is when two contradictory or opposing actions/things/themes work together to produce an aesthetic effect. Thesis/antithesis/synthesis. If you

A double movement is when two contradictory or opposing actions/things/themes work together to produce an aesthetic effect. Thesis/antithesis/synthesis. If you haven't read Blood Meridian (you should - I'm biased, it's my favorite book, but it's widely considered one of the great American novels) it would be hard to discuss thematic double movements in detail, but one example would be scientific knowledge as a means of control vs the ultimate unknowability of fate. In the case of social media, the author appears to be arguing that on the one hand it is not some "special place" that is distinct from other communication networks - many of which have existed before man himself did. e.g. you can see a natural continuum from plants communicating with each other via airborne rhizobacteria -> animals communicating with each other with sound -> people talking -> telegraph -> telephone -> email -> social media. So in some sense it's just a continuation of an existing trend of expanding the domain of communication. On the other hand, it is not like previous methods of communication because it is subject to algorithmic amplification and perverse "attention economy" incentives. For example, the best way for Twitter or Facebook to make money is to show you things that piss you off. The best way to be popular on Instagram is to live a completely fake life. In fact, the author argues that the only way to properly engage with social media is by treating it as a game - e.g. shitposting. In that sense social media is very different from pre-existing means of communication.