New Forms of Fascism

Abstract

This paper covers the idea of fascism in the light of new and emerging technologies as well as the current ubiquity of its use. I draw my inspiration for this paper from the constant use of the word "fascist" to denote opposition to a group or personal stance on socio-political issues. My attempt to look at new forms of fascism is guided by the original concept of fascism espoused by Mussolini's Doctrine of Fascism. I also attempt to frame the conditions of the new forms of fascism in the context of the Fourth Industrial Revolution. This context undergirds the current propaganda model of media institutions that have shifted their operations to the Internet. I argue in this paper that current media platforms that operate under the BUMMER principle provide a potent breeding pool for new forms of fascism that are reliant on ideologies as opposed to authoritarian figures. These conditions, as I argue in this paper, force us to rethink our current entanglement with democratic systems that are entrenched in representative iterations. As a conclusion to this paper, I argue the strong need for exploring an increased degree of participation of individuals through direct forms of democracy, increased scrutiny of media institutions, and the exploration of current and existing technologies to undergird direct democratic participation.