Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: This study presents a research manifesto aimed at opening a new field of inquiry: digital mythology as a form of ideological structure in the era of artificial intelligence (AI). Rather than cataloguing specific digital myths, the article serves as a prolegomenon—a call for interdisciplinary investigation into how digital technologies, algorithms, and "onlife" environments reshape cultural narratives, symbolism, and collective imagination. The text is also directed at professionals in STEM fields who may not yet be familiar with cultural theory or theories of ideology. To that end, the authors explain the foundational approaches of Barthes, Marx, Althusser, and Jameson, demonstrating their relevance for critically engaging with contemporary technological discourse. The study further distinguishes between industrial and digital mythology, highlighting the specific features of algorithmic narratives, including the role of AI in reproducing hegemonic ideologies. Particular attention is given to the myth of AI objectivity and to the question of how digital myth-making processes differ from earlier forms of ideological reality construction. The result is a conceptual framework for future research that bridges political philosophy, sociology, and media studies within the context of digital transformation and its broader social significance.
Source: Society
Authors: Roman Rakowski, Petra Kowalikova, Petr Polak
Institutions: University of Ostrava, Mendel University in Brno
Language: English
Subfield: Communication
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
Estimated APC paid: $3,090
Funder: Mendelova Univerzita v Brně
OpenAlex ID: W4412529871