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Other literature type . 2025
License: CC BY
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https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.5...
Article . 2025 . Peer-reviewed
Data sources: Crossref
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Research . 2025
License: CC BY
Data sources: Datacite
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Research . 2025
License: CC BY
Data sources: Datacite
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The Digital Invisible Hand: Technology Corporations as De Facto Regulators in the 21st Century

Authors: Ale White, Ale White;

The Digital Invisible Hand: Technology Corporations as De Facto Regulators in the 21st Century

Abstract

This article introduces and develops the concept of the Digital Invisible Hand, understood as the process through which major technology corporations, by means of algorithmic infrastructures and data monopolies, operate as de facto regulators of both economy and society. Unlike Adam Smith’s classical metaphor, grounded in decentralization and diversity of actors, the digital version is marked by concentration, opacity, and the capacity to establish new rules of the game. It is argued that technological announcements made by these corporations possess the power to redefine political agendas, regulatory priorities, and cultural frameworks, shifting initiative from states to the corporate sphere. The article discusses the implications of this dynamic for contemporary leadership, governance, and transitions toward sustainable futures.

Keywords

Leadership, Technology corporations, Sustainability, Artificial Intelligence, Artificial Intelligence/ethics, Sustainability risk assessment, Algorithmic regulation, Artificial Intelligence/standards, Corporate power, Digital governance

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citations
The total number of citations received by all articles of the researcher of interest.
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!
0
Average
Average
Average
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