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tripleC: Communication, Capitalism & Critique
Article . 2026 . Peer-reviewed
License: CC BY NC ND
Data sources: Crossref
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Philosophy & Social Criticism
Article . 2026 . Peer-reviewed
License: CC BY
Data sources: Crossref
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Digital Fascism and Digital Capitalism

Authors: Christian Fuchs;

Digital Fascism and Digital Capitalism

Abstract

What is digital fascism? What is digital capitalism? How are they related? This article theorises digital fascism as a contemporary form of right-wing authoritarianism rooted in capitalism and reorganised through digital infrastructures. Building on the Frankfurt School’s analysis of authoritarianism, it reconceptualises fascism as a terroristic, anti-democratic mode of organisation – leadership cults, nationalism, friend/enemy polarisation, and militant patriarchy – whose resurgence is catalysed by capitalist crises. The paper advances a dual framework: fascist practices (cognition, communication, co-production) and digital structures (platforms, algorithms, datafication) recursively produce one another – the tripleC dynamic – enabling user-generated hate, post-truth propaganda, algorithmic targeting, cyberattacks, and digitally mediated violence. Ten historical hypotheses map shifts from broadcast propaganda to influencer networks, from street militias to partially automated conflict, and from overt anti-democracy to “creeping” authoritarianism that claims democratic legitimacy. Integrating political-economy evidence, the article demonstrates how key fractions of digital, financial, and fossil/transport capital fund and legitimise emergent authoritarian projects, crystallising an authoritarian digital capitalism whose boundary with digital fascism is porous. The conclusion argues for a digital democracy that counters the fusion of big business and big power in the digital age. Acknowledgement: This paper was first published in the journal Philosophy & Social Criticism. Using a CC-BY license, the original article has been reproduced in tripleC: https://doi.org/10.1177/01914537261434922

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selected citations
These citations are derived from selected sources.
This is an alternative to the "Influence" indicator, which also reflects the overall/total impact of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network (diachronically).
BIP!Citations provided by BIP!
popularity
This indicator reflects the "current" impact/attention (the "hype") of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network.
BIP!Popularity provided by BIP!
influence
This indicator reflects the overall/total impact of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network (diachronically).
BIP!Influence provided by BIP!
impulse
This indicator reflects the initial momentum of an article directly after its publication, based on the underlying citation network.
BIP!Impulse provided by BIP!
1
Top 10%
Average
Average
gold