ABSTRACT
The aim of this chapter is to show the relevance of Theodor W. Adorno’s critical theory for the analysis of digital capitalism. After an introduction (section 4.1), section 4.2 deals with prejudices against Adorno. Outright rejection and opposition to Adorno is particularly prevalent in the field of cultural studies. Section 4.3 engages with and updates the notion of the culture industry in the age of digital capitalism. It outlines the foundations of the concept of the digital culture industry. Section 4.4 updates Adorno’s concept and theory of the authoritarian personality. Drawing on empirical research on how Donald Trump and other right-wing authoritarians use Twitter and other social media, it is shown how authoritarianism is communicated on social media. Section 4.5 deals with the question if we live in a digital society or digital capitalism. It builds on a similar question that Adorno was asking about industrialism, namely: do we live in an industrial society or in a capitalist society? Taken together, the analysis aims to show the relevance of Adorno’s critical theory as part of an update of Marxist theory in the 21st century for the critical analysis of communication and digital capitalism.
