Digital Fascism: Media, Communication and Society Volume Four

Description

This fourth volume in Christian Fuchs’s Media, Communication and Society book series outlines the theoretical foundations of digital fascism and presents case studies of how fascism is communicated online. Digital Fascism presents and engages with theoretical approaches and empirical studies that allow us to understand how fascism, right-wing authoritarianism, xenophobia, and nationalism are communicated on the Internet. The book builds on theoretical foundations from key theorists such as Theodor W. Adorno, Franz L. Neumann, Erich Fromm, Herbert Marcuse, Wilhelm Reich, Leo Löwenthal, Moishe Postone, Günther Anders, M. N. Roy, or Henry Giroux. The book draws on a range of case studies, including Nazi-celebrations of Hitler’s birthday on Twitter, the ‘red scare 2.0’ directed against Jeremy Corbyn, and political communication online (Donald Trump, Boris Johnson, the Austrian presidential election). These case studies analyse right-wing communication online and on social media. Fuchs argues for the safeguarding of the democratic public sphere and that slowing down and decommodifying the logic of the media can advance and renew debate culture in the age of digital authoritarianism, fake news, echo chambers, and filter bubbles. Each chapter focuses on a particular dimension of digital fascism or a critical theorist whose work helps us to illuminate how fascism and digital fascism work, making this book an essential reading for both undergraduate and postgraduate students of media and communication studies, sociology, politics, and political economy as well as anyone who wants to understand what digital fascism is and how it works. Cover Half Title Title Page Copyright Page Contents Figures Tables Acknowledgements Chapter One. Introduction 1.1. This Book's Chapters Reference Part I: Foundations Chapter Two. The Relevance of Franz L. Neumann's Critical Theory Today: Behemoth and Anxiety and Politics in the New Age of Authoritarian Capitalism 2.1. Who was Franz Leopold Neumann? 2.2. Behemoth: Franz Neumann's Analysis of the Structure and Practice of the Economy, the State, and Ideology in Nazi Germany 2.3. Anxiety and Politics and its Relevance in 2017 2.4. Axel Honneth on Anxiety and Politics 2.5. Franz Neumann Today Note References Chapter Three. Günther Anders' Critique of Ideology 3.1. Introduction 3.2. Klaus Eichmann and Claude Eatherly: Günther Anders' Engagement with the Son of the Shoah-Organiser and the Hiroshima-Nuclear Bomb Pilot 3.2.1. Günther Anders and Klaus Eichmann 3.2.2. Günther Anders and Claude Eatherly 3.2.3. Annihilism Today 3.3. Heidegger 3.4. Conclusion Notes References Chapter Four. M. N. Roy's Critique of Ideology, Fascism, and Nationalism 4.1. Introduction 4.2. Ideology 4.3. Liberalism and the Dialectic of Enlightenment 4.4. Nationalism and Fascism Authoritarian Leadership Nationalism The Friend/Enemy-Scheme Militarism 4.5. Conclusions Humanism Notes References Chapter Five. Martin Heidegger's Anti-Semitism: Philosophy of Technology and the Media in the Light of the Black Notebooks. Implications for the Reception of Heidegger in Media and Communication Studies 5.1. Introduction 5.2. The Critical Theory of Anti-Semitism 5.3. The Black Notebooks 5.4. Heidegger, the Media, and Technology 5.5. Conclusion Notes References Chapter Six. Anti-Semitism, Anti-Marxism, and Technophobia: The Fourth Volume of Martin Heidegger's Black Notebooks (1942-1948) 6.1. Introduction 6.2. Deutschtümelei 6.3. Anti-Semitism and the Hatred of Modernity, Technology, and Socialism 6.4. The Belittlement of the Nazi System 6.5. Media and Technology Notes References Part II: Applications Chapter Seven. Fascism 2.0: Hitler on Twitter 7.1. Introduction 7.2. Methodology 7.3. Fascism 2.0's First Element: Leadership Ideology and Authoritarian Populism 7.4. Fascism 2.0's Second Element: Nationalism 7.5. Fascism 2.0's Third Element: The Friend-Enemy Scheme 7.6. Fascism 2.0's Fourth Element: Patriarchy and Naturalism 7.7. Conclusion Notes References Chapter Eight. Red Scare 2.0: User-Generated Ideology in the Age of Jeremy Corbyn and Social Media 8.1. Introduction 8.2. Theoretical Foundations: Ideology Critique or Ideology Theory? 8.3. Methodology 8.4. Context: Anti-Socialist Ideology 8.5. Analysis 8.5.1. Anti-Corbyn Hatred: "Jeremy Corbyn is a Lunatic Socialist Pig" 8.5.2. Security Policy: "Corbyn is a Friend of Britain's Enemies" 8.5.3. Economy: "Corbyn Wants a Stalin-Like Command Economy and Hates the Free Market" 8.5.4. Culture: "Corbyn is a Loony-Left Hippie" 8.5.5. Politics: "Jeremy Corbyn just like Stalin and Mao Wants a Totalitarian State" 8.6. Conclusion Notes References Chapter Nine. Racism, Nationalism, and Right-Wing Extremism Online: The 2016 Austrian Presidential Election on Facebook 9.1. Introduction 9.2. Theoretical Foundations: What is Ideology? 9.3. Nationalism and New Racism 9.4. The Freedom Party of Austria's History and Ideology 9.5. Methodology 9.6. Analysis and Interpretation 9.6.1. The First Discourse Topic: Charismatic Leadership 9.6.2. The Second Discourse Topic: Austrian Nationalism 9.6.3. The Third Discourse Topic: The Friend-Enemy Scheme 9.6.4. The Fourth Discourse Topic: New Racism 9.6.5. The Fifth Discourse Topic: Violence 9.7. Conclusion Notes References Appendix: Norbert Hofer's and Heinz-Christian Strache's Postings on Facebook Chapter Ten. A Frankfurt School Perspective on Donald Trump and His Use of Social Media 10.1. Twitter and Trump as Culture Industry 10.2. Authoritarianism Online 10.3. Tweeting Nationalism 10.4. Online Liking of Friends, Online Hating of Enemies 10.5. Militarism and Patriarchy 10.6. Tweeting Emotions, Tweeting Ideology 10.7. Twitter Diplomacy 10.8. Liberal Media = Trump's Political-Economic Allies Note References Chapter Eleven. Donald Trump and Neoliberal Fascism 11.1. Fascism 11.2. Neoliberal Fascism 11.3. Trump the Spectacle 11.4. Alternatives 11.5. Postface (Written in March 2021) Note References Chapter Twelve. Authoritarian Capitalism, Authoritarian Movements, Authoritarian Communication 12.1. Studying Political Communication in Turbulent Times 12.2. Right-Wing Authoritarianism 12.3. Trump, Social Media, and Right-Wing Authoritarianism 12.4. Conclusion: Towards Chaplin 2.0, Brecht 2.0, Verfremdung 2.0, Critical Data Visualisation, Slow Media, and Critical Public Sociology References Chapter Thirteen. Why There are Certain Parallels Between Joachim C. Fest's Hitler-Biography and Michael Wolff's Trump-Book 13.1. Joachim C. Fest's Analysis of Hitler 13.2. Michael Wolff's Analysis of Trump 13.3. Digital Demagogue Notes References Chapter Fourteen. How did Donald Trump Incite a Coup Attempt? References Chapter Fifteen. Boris Johnson Takes His Brexit Demagoguery to the Social Media Sphere 15.1. Introduction 15.2. Brexit's Long History 15.3. "People's PMQs" as Ideology 15.4. Social Media and the Public Sphere 15.5. Right-Wing Authoritarianism and the Media 15.6. What is to be Done Against the New Right-Wing Radicalism? Notes References Chapter Sixteen. Slow Media: How to Renew Debate in the Age of Digital Authoritarianism Club 2.0: Slow Debate References Part III: Conclusion Chapter Seventeen. Conclusion: What is Digital Fascism? 17.1. What is Fascism? 17.2. What is Digital Fascism? References Index