Authoritarian Currents: Influence, Resistance, and Media Power

How digital platforms shape political narratives—and what we can learn from history.

Authoritarian Politics - A Reading List

CITAP, in collaboration with Marie Heřmanová & Kristóf Szombati, presents a very timely and important reading list: “Authoritarian Politics: How to Understand It and How to Resist It.”

Authoritarianism isn’t just a regional issue—it’s a global phenomenon. This guide explores how authoritarian politics take root, drawing on lessons from Central & Eastern Europe. Understanding these patterns can help us resist them elsewhere. Authoritarianism thrives by shaping narratives—resisting it starts with understanding how those narratives are built. Read, reflect, and share this tool broadly.

What’s inside?

1. Learning from the Past. This section covers books & essays on the totalitarian regimes of the Soviet Bloc before 1989 & their aftermath. What happens when a society transitions away from authoritarian rule? What lessons can we learn today?

2. Authoritarian Politics in Everyday Life. How does authoritarianism embed itself into institutions & daily experiences? This section explores the economic, political, & cultural forces that sustain authoritarian rule—and how they adapt globally.

3. The War on Gender in Authoritarian Politics. Gender & identity politics are central to right-wing mobilization. This section unpacks how the Right weaponizes gender to fuel nationalism, suppress dissent, & shape political discourse.

Viral votes

A new Bloomberg investigation analyzed over 2,000 videos from nine popular YouTube and podcast personalities to understand their role in mobilizing young male voters ahead of the 2024 U.S. presidential election. The research found that influencers such as Joe Rogan, Logan Paul, and Theo Von became key sources of political messaging, often embedding conservative talking points within discussions on culture, sports, and masculinity. Their content, which reached millions of viewers, frequently reinforced themes of national crisis, economic instability, and political distrust—mirroring narratives that shaped Donald Trump’s campaign.

Alice Marwick spoke with Bloomberg, and noted how Trump’s messaging about masculinity is the same narrative being pushed through the podcasts: “It’s like, don’t be ashamed of your base manly desires. Don’t let anyone make you feel guilty, don’t let anyone take you down. You should be proud and strong, and you should also go after the people criticizing you.”

The Bloomberg study revealed that these digital broadcasters played an active role in increasing political engagement among their audience, with 37% of their highly viewed videos mentioning voting or elections. While some shows directly encouraged participation, others questioned election integrity and mainstream institutions. The presence of political figures, including Trump himself, on these platforms significantly boosted their visibility, making them an alternative media powerhouse with the ability to shape discourse and political leanings among young men.

A Pew-Knight Initiative report from November 2024 examined the growing influence of digital creators in shaping political discourse and news consumption. The study analyzed 500 prominent news influencers—individuals with at least 100,000 followers who regularly post about current events on platforms like X, YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook. Key findings show that 21% of U.S. adults—and 37% of those under 30—regularly get news from influencers, signaling a major shift in how Americans engage with political information. While influencers span the ideological spectrum, the report found slightly more explicitly right-leaning creators (27%) than left-leaning ones (21%). Additionally, 77% of news influencers have no formal affiliation with a traditional news organization, highlighting the increasing prominence of independent voices.

These reports underscore a major shift in the media landscape, where non-traditional influencers now wield significant power in shaping public opinion and voter behavior. As these platforms continue to grow, their role in future elections and policymaking will likely expand, raising critical questions about media influence, political mobilization, and the reach of digital personalities in the democratic process.

Strategic Ambiguity

Shannon McGregor spoke with NPR about Elon Musk’s salute during President Trump’s inaguration, which Musk is now trying to spin as a joke:

"This, what I would say, not necessarily unambiguous gesture really has the hallmarks of what we call strategic ambiguity, which is something that's also often employed by those on the right. It's aimed at different audiences who might interpret it differently. But the communicator stands to gain something from that... If you're on the right, this is sort of the bona fides of being attacked by the left, being attacked by the mainstream media, while at the same time normalizing something that is a really far-right gesture.”