tripleC 16(2): 772-774, 2018 http://www.triple-c.at
Book Review: Digital Demagogue: Authoritarian Capitalism in the Age of Trump and Twitter by Christian Fuchs Ryan J. Phillips Ryerson University, Toronto, Canada, Ryan.j.phillips@ryerson.ca Abstract: Ryan J. Phillips reviews Christian Fuchs’ Digital Demagogue: Authoritarian Capitalism in the Age of Trump and Twitter. Fuchs’ latest work provides an excellent critical perspective on the global rise of right-wing populism and authoritarianism, and explores the specifics of Trump’s brand of authoritarian ideology and its dissemination via social media platforms. Keywords: Donald Trump, authoritarianism, capitalism, Twitter, critical theory
Christian Fuchs’ Digital Demagogue: Authoritarian Capitalism in the Age of Trump and Twitter (2018) offers a thorough ideological critique of current US President Donald Trump’s brand of authoritarianism. Contextualised within the contemporary rise of right-wing populism in other states such as Hungary, France, the Philippines, Austria, and Turkey, Fuchs identifies and critiques the ideological relationships between Trump, authoritarianism, capitalism, and new media – which Fuchs conceptualises as ‘Trumpology’. Like many of his previous works, Fuchs’ theoretical and methodological foundations draw from the Frankfurt School of critical theory. Specifically, the analysis of Trump and authoritarian capitalism expand upon the models of authoritarianism previously developed by Theodor Adorno and Franz L. Neumann, respectively. Fuchs draws from these critical scholars in formulating a comprehensive model of authoritarianism, which is comprised of four dimensions: authoritarian leadership, friend/enemy schemes (or dichotomies), ethnocentrism and nationalism, and patriarchal militarism (53). Fuchs also outlines the various historical conceptualisations and current global manifestations of nationalism and authoritarianism, and systematically differentiates between fascism (the outright attempts to eliminate oppositional individuals and groups) and authoritarian capitalism (the extreme repression of oppositional individuals or groups) (58-59). Fuchs’ systematic identification and critical analysis of Trump’s specific brand and methods of authoritarianism provide helpful insight into the ongoing and worsening problems of the post-2016 US. Additionally, Fuchs also notes the historical developments of neoliberalism that have led to the current crisis of authoritarian capitalism – drawing, again, from a historical materialist methodology. The author provides historicised comparative analyses of the political, economic, and cultural conditions that gave rise to Trump and other authoritarian movements such as Marine Le Pen in France, Brexit, and Hitler’s brand of Nazi fascism. Though subtle differences between these examples and the Trump phenomenon exist, Fuchs effectively highlights the significant similarities between the fundamental elements of these rightwing authoritarian historical moments. For example, Fuchs examines data regarding voter support for these various causes, and finds significant similarities regarding voter Date of Acceptance: 09 July 2018 Date of Publication: 12 July 2018
CC-BY-NC-ND: Creative Commons License, 2018.