By Nadia Anwar-Watts, Fourth Year, Music and German
Nadia Anwar-Watts draws attention to the danger of the immense power being placed in the hands of tech billionaires as their influence grows, enabling them to manipulate society to their liking, exert control over digital spaces and exploit users.
In recent years, the digital age has witnessed a troubling evolution: a handful of tech titans consolidating immense power while aligning themselves with right-wing ideologies. This confluence of monopolistic control and political influence has given rise to what the former Greek finance minister, Yanis Varoufakis, describes as ‘Technofeudalism’, a term encapsulating a system where monopolistic tech giants dominate society, exploiting users and consolidating influence akin to modern-day feudal lords.
Mark Zuckerberg, once a supporter of ‘progressive’ causes, has increasingly leaned into right-wing ideologies. In a stark departure from his earlier stances—such as opposing mass deportations under the Trump administration in 2016—Zuckerberg has shown a growing affinity for conservative agendas. His $1 million donation to Trump’s inauguration fund signalled a turning point. More recently, he has implemented measures at Meta to reduce content moderation, ostensibly due to concerns that right-wing voices were disproportionately silenced. It might be worth considering that this shift could mean less about free speech and more about pandering to a political base. Zuckerberg’s decision to promote long-time Republican insider, Joel Kaplan, as Meta’s head of global policy, replacing a familiar name, Nick Clegg, underscores this alignment.
As Siva Vaidhyanathan articulated in The Guardian, Meta’s earlier commitment to moderation wasn’t merely about fact-checking—it was about protecting users and advertisers from the risks associated with harmful content. With Meta’s pivot toward artificial intelligence and away from being a social media platform, Zuckerberg appears increasingly indifferent to the concerns of advertisers, prioritizing influence over accountability.
Elon Musk’s political journey mirrors Zuckerberg’s, albeit with an even more overt embrace of right-wing ideologies. Once a voter of Obama, Clinton, and Biden; Musk now champions the very forces he once seemed to oppose. Trump’s infamous quote in regards to sexual assault— ‘When you’re a star […] you can do anything’—seems to resonate with Musk’s enjoyment of the impunity that comes with wealth and power.
The transformation is not without context. Tesla’s stock price and Musk’s personal fortune skyrocketed following Trump’s election. As Forbes reports, Musk’s wealth has ‘ballooned to an astounding $440 billion.’ Even Trump’s former advisor, Steve Bannon, has criticised Musk, calling him an ‘evil guy’ and describing ‘his aggregation of wealth, and then - through wealth - power: that’s what he’s focused on.’ Musk’s platform, X (formerly Twitter), has become a megaphone for polarizing narratives, amplifying disinformation and fostering political divisions. Recently, he has been critical of UK politicians, making the grossly misinformed statement that our safeguarding minister and women’s rights activist Jess Phillips is a ‘rape genocide apologist.’ His public endorsement of Germany’s far-right, anti-immigration party, the AfD, and his propagation of the ‘Great Replacement Theory’, which asserts that there exists a secret plan to displace the white race in Europe and the US with immigrants from Asia and Africa - exemplify a dangerous intersection of wealth, technology, and extremist ideology.
The rise of figures like Zuckerberg and Musk outlines a broader trend: the emergence of a digital aristocracy that wields disproportionate influence over public discourse, governance, and even the fabric of democracy itself. Unlike traditional corporations, which are at least somewhat beholden to market forces and public scrutiny, these tech giants operate in a realm where monopoly power shields them from meaningful accountability.
Varoufakis’ concept of Technofeudalism, introduced in his book ‘Technofeudalism: What Killed Capitalism’, captures the essence of this new world order. In this framework, tech billionaires function as modern-day feudal lords, wielding control over vast digital estates. Users, in turn, become serfs, dependent on these platforms for social, economic, and political engagement. This system’s inherent inequalities are stark. While the tech aristocracy accumulates unimaginable wealth and power, the majority of users are left vulnerable to exploitation - whether through the commodification of their data, exposure to harmful content, or manipulation of their political beliefs. The implications for democracy are profound: when a handful of individuals control the primary means of communication, the potential for abuse is limitless.
The convergence of technology and right-wing ideology marks a dangerous juncture in the digital age. As tech billionaires like Zuckerberg and Musk consolidate power, they are reshaping society in ways that prioritize their interests over democratic principles and social equity. Addressing this challenge requires not only regulatory action from governments and other major companies, but also a collective commitment to resist the allure of the digital aristocracy. With a broad understanding of the dynamics of Technofeudalism, we can make more informed choices about the platforms we use and the leaders we support. The time to act is now, before the new lords of the digital manor entrench their rule irrevocably.