The Digital Authoritarian: On the Evolution and Spread of Toxic Leadership

Brian L. Ott () and Carrisa S. Hoelscher
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Brian L. Ott: Department of Communication, Media, Journalism and Film, Missouri State University, Springfield, MO 65897, USA
Carrisa S. Hoelscher: Department of Communication, Media, Journalism and Film, Missouri State University, Springfield, MO 65897, USA

World, 2023, vol. 4, issue 4, 1-19

Abstract: Employing a critical approach typical of humanities-based research, this article investigates the changing nature of toxic leadership in our digital world. Drawing on the perspective of media ecology, which asserts that the prevailing communication technologies at a given moment create the social conditions that, in turn, condition us, the authors illustrate how the digital logics of publicity, intransigence, impertinence, and impulsivity remake the contours of leadership. Based on a critical case study of Elon Musk’s public management of Twitter, which has subsequently been rebranded as “X”, it is argued that the four digital logics transform toxic leadership into digital authoritarianism, an unabashed form of authoritarian rule. A concluding section of the essay explores the implications of this evolution for traditional categories of leadership; the importance of attending to communication technologies in leadership research; and the individual, institutional, and social harms of digital authoritarianism.

Keywords: digital society; public management; toxic leadership; authoritarianism; digital logics; media ecology; Elon Musk; Twitter; X (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: G15 G17 G18 L21 L22 L25 L26 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 R51 R52 R58 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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