Infrastructural Power and Algorithmic Governmentalityin the Era of Digital Capitalism

Abstract

The article analyzes the infrastructural power of the state and algorithmic governmentality in the era of digital capitalism, a regime characterized by the centrality of data, algorithms, and digital platforms. Through a theoretical dialogue between Michael Mann, Michel Foucault, and other scholars, it examines how digital capitalism transforms power dynamics, consolidating a model of governmentality that combines technical-administrative control with the algorithmic modulation of behaviors. The argument is made that under digital capitalism, the infrastructural power of the state is redefined through a duality: while its technical and administrative dimension is strengthened, its political dimension loses legitimacy, accelerating the consolidation of authoritarian neoliberalism. This analysis emphasizes the historical and structural co-evolution of economic, technical, and political logics, while acknowledging that these dynamics vary across historical, institutional, and geopolitical contexts.