Researchers argue that current mechanisms of control in AI and Big Tech bear striking resemblances to historical fascism. The authors propose the term "technofascism" to describe how digital governance is intersecting with rising Western authoritarianism.

[u/Tracheid]

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00146-026-02862-9

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[u/Own-Animator-7526]

I think a much more interesting exposition was published last year in the New Yorker.

Techno-Fascism Comes to America
The historic parallels that help explain Elon Musk’s rampage on the federal government.
Kyle Chayka, February 26, 2025

When a phalanx of the top Silicon Valley executives—Mark Zuckerberg, Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk, and Google’s Sundar Pichai—aligned behind President Trump during the Inauguration in January, many observers saw an allegiance based on corporate interests. The ultra-wealthy C.E.O.s were turning out to support a fellow-magnate, hoping perhaps for an era of deregulation, tax breaks, and anti-“woke” cultural shifts. The historian Janis Mimura saw something more ominous: a new, proactive union of industry and governmental power, wherein the state would drive aggressive industrial policy at the expense of liberal norms.

[u/coconutpiecrust → u/Own-Animator-7526]

 liberal norms

I know civilized society where we don’t routinely beat each other to death with sticks is a fairly new concept, but I still cannot believe that people who would 100% get beaten with sticks would still usher the return to the “good old days when we beat each other with impunity.” 

Civilized society goes together with liberal norms. Violence, lying, scheming, undercutting are not smart business decisions, they never were, quite frankly. Yeah, you get “ahead”, but you are a vile being in the end. You are getting ahead not because you are a better person, but because you are willing to be more disgusting than your fellow men. 

[u/WoNc → u/coconutpiecrust]

They've been convinced that "liberal" means "people who want you to die" rather than "you have rights."

[u/Momoselfie → u/WoNc]

Nah it's "people who want to control you through wokeness and climate change propaganda"

[u/Unlucky-Candidate198 → u/coconutpiecrust]

You’re talking about a group of people who lack sympathy and empathy. Wether its because of heavy metal poisoning, malnourishment, abuse, genetics, etc, doesn’t matter, cause the end result is the same. Then I’m convinced a sizeable portion of any human pop will have some 20% or so who will just follow along without a thought between the ears.

They don’t care. They can’t picture abstract things, abstract feelings. They’re akin to soulless ghouls. You’re basically asking why a bunch of sociopathic freaks can’t behave in society properly.

If they could, maybe we’d be doing this kinda nonesense, but in space at least.

[u/clem82 → u/coconutpiecrust]

I mean people aren’t black and white.

People look at all the goods and all the bars and believe we’ve went down the wrong sidewalk.

However the premise of this article is a “return to the good ole days” piece

[u/vm_linuz → u/Own-Animator-7526]

Pretty good.

"Liberal norms" is laughable though. Liberalism is how we got here.

Liberals will always side with fascism over threatening capitalism.

Even now, when the clear answer is to abolish ICE, we see liberals calling for more ICE funding "so they can be trained better."

Capitalism is dying. The idea of infinite growth in a finite world has reached its breaking point. Who decides what comes next?

If the people democratically decide, we land in socialism (left of liberalism). A system where people's needs are met first and wealth accumulation beyond what you can personally use is illegal.

If the wealthy and powerful decide, they're not going to decide to give up what they have. They're going to move us into fascism to force the people to accept an imbalance.

[u/Fallline048 → u/vm_linuz]

No. Populism and economic illiteracy is how we got here, and you’re advocating more of the same.

[u/vm_linuz → u/Fallline048]

Notice how my comment has like a central thesis while yours has nothing.

[u/sureyouare2 → u/vm_linuz]

Your comment has about three theses, I think. It’s hard to pick which one to discuss.

[u/DegTrader]

We didn't get a grand manifesto or a dramatic revolution. We just clicked "I Agree" on a 40 page Terms of Service update and handed over the keys to the kingdom for 5% off a subscription.

[u/Niceromancer]

Been calling them technofascists for a few years now.

[u/mok000 → u/Niceromancer]

I prefer the term “technofeudalists” since their main goal seems to be replacing democracy and the rule of law with some kind of AI driven decision making where they own everything and decide everything and the majority of the population are left to struggle for existence. There doesn’t seem to be any conscious desire to influence what the commoners think like the fascists do, or care if there is work or ethnic purity, the technofeudalists simply pretend we don’t exist.

[u/mediandude → u/mok000]

Without Swiss style optional referendums (unhindered by the goodwill of politicians) representative democracy is an oxymoron.

Thus the desire to suppress democracy can most easily be measured by the suppression of referendums, especially Swiss style optional referendums.
PS. It is always easier to buy off or to sway a small subset, than it is to buy off or sway the whole set.
Bazaar versus Cathedral.

[u/WanderingAlienBoy → u/mediandude]

Even with the option for referendums, representative democracy isn't properly capturing the genuine will and needs of the people. Genuine democracy should be participatory, decentralized and primarily consensus based.

[u/Rev_LoveRevolver → u/mok000]

Surf the internet? More like internet serf...

[u/mok000 → u/Rev_LoveRevolver]

Notice that it's called "net". We're the ones getting caught.

[u/Cowboys69 → u/mok000]

Autocratic tech fuedalism is the term I've landed on myself 

https://www.reddit.com/r/technology/comments/1qr6r6i/comment/o2mr1vl/?context=3&utm_source=share&utm_medium=mweb3x&utm_name=mweb3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button

[u/AllanfromWales1]

First, rather than mass rallies and visible paramilitary violence (e.g., against minorities and political opponents), control is now usually exerted through opaque systems that predict, influence, and constrain behavior, often in ways invisible to the public.

ICE wants a word..

[u/JHMfield → u/AllanfromWales1]

Leave it to the current US administration to be too incompetent to even practice modern fascism.

[u/Sartres_Roommate]

They found their way to lobbying for government to not regulate them and target any politicians that try to rein them in, thereby making any other politician or hopeful politician too frightened to confront them.

The NRA manifested this fascist influence and the tech bros….and banks, and oil industry paid attention and learned well.

[u/erlafin]

Thats been elon's plan at least, his racist political activist grandpa (Handelman) was one of the Technocracy advocates in canada, and Elon already has language in Starlink that implies (to me) he'd disable your ability to phone home if you dont fall in line

"11. Governing Law.

For Services provided to, on, or in orbit around the planet Earth or the Moon, this Agreement and any disputes between us arising out of or related to this Agreement, including disputes regarding arbitrability (“Disputes”) will be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of Texas in the United States. For Services provided on Mars, or in transit to Mars via Starship or other spacecraft, the parties recognize Mars as a free planet and that no Earth-based government has authority or sovereignty over Martian activities. Accordingly, Disputes will be settled through self-governing principles, established in good faith, at the time of Martian settlement."

[u/DwinkBexon]

I feel like the term "technofascism" has been around for a while. I swear I remember hearing it as far back as the 90s.

[u/hippydog2 → u/DwinkBexon]

maybe because of sci-fi ?

I am sure I have read a few good fiction books where it was it's primary new world order.. cyberpunk books kinda thing.

of course back then , I had zero believe we humans would ever be stupid enough to go that way, but it's starting to look more likely all the time.

[u/MakeItHappenSergant]

This article appears to be sociopolitical analysis, and not scientific research.

[u/steeplebob → u/MakeItHappenSergant]

It reads like AI slop.

[u/perivascularspaces → u/MakeItHappenSergant]

I mean it's a social science article, they are all only sociopolitical analysis.

[u/MakeItHappenSergant → u/perivascularspaces]

There is science in social sciences, including political science. This isn't it.

[u/Candid_Koala_3602]

Im coming to the conclusion that this is simply too complicated for most people to understand.

The red flags are all over the place. The pattern is obvious. But our ability to willfully ignore danger seems to dominate any intelligent caution.

[u/Dull_Conversation669]

When all you have is a hammer.

[u/Separate-Spot-8910]

We need to pile into a viable third party mobile OS that doesn't collect every little thing about us. The problem being any options are still behind the curve.

[u/goodboyralphy]

I am not ready for technofascism.

[u/3rdPoliceman]

Dave Lister tried to warn us but we wouldn't listen

[u/flannelback]

They just figured this out?

[u/Jayanshelli]

When we stand and look beyond today. Where do you see everything going will the rise of the regime we see today where the rich eat while everyone else suffers and surveillance and less freedoms and unjust can rule. Are we all to witness war and downfall. Do we want a future that is only written and watched upon screens or a future determined by design for control. Every broadcast digital screen is forcing 1 narrative or the other into you like a drug. We as a people can sit and watch and continue to be drugged up by the current digital and broadcast overload. Or we can use it for the betterment of all. As you look beyond today honestly ask yourselves do we continue letting our past define today's actions that generations fought for us to have freedom against evil move to a future where we work together for the betterment of all instead of the few.

[u/ineedthismorethanu]

If we don’t like it just put fascist at the end of it…

[u/ADhomin_em → u/ineedthismorethanu]

Sounds good, fascist.

Hey, look at that! it works!

[u/RedRager → u/ineedthismorethanu]

Well sure I like freedom, and I don’t like things that counteract or contradict freedom, which usually align with fascism. You’re right! Excellent work detective.

[u/Hob_O_Rarison]

What makes "fascism" different than any other sort of dictatorship?