The Aestheticisation of Politics in the Digital Age: From Leni Riefenstahl to Computational Propaganda with AI

The Aestheticisation of Politics in the Digital Age: From Leni Riefenstahl to Computational Propaganda with AI | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF open-forum The Aestheticisation of Politics in the Digital Age: From Leni Riefenstahl to Computational Propaganda with AI Nuno Miguel Rodrigues dos Santos This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-9401967/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract This article examines the evolution of the aestheticisation of politics and mass propaganda, tracing a comparative line between the cinematic techniques of Leni Riefenstahl in Nazi Germany and contemporary strategies of computational propaganda and generative artificial intelligence (AI). Drawing on Walter Benjamin's theoretical frameworks on the "aura" of the work of art and the aestheticisation of politics, and on Susan Sontag's "fascinating fascism", it is argued that generative AI represents a new phase in mass manipulation. This technology amplifies and personalises historical propaganda tactics, eroding the "aura" of truth and contributing to an epistemic collapse. Through a critical-comparative analysis, the study aims to offer a theoretical framework connecting historical propaganda to its digital counterpart, highlighting continuities and discontinuities, and exploring the ethical and social implications of AI in the public sphere. Aestheticisation of politics propaganda Leni Riefenstahl artificial intelligence deepfakes Walter Benjamin Susan Sontag Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-9401967","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"open-forum","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":624542282,"identity":"24952f0e-3f24-44fc-a597-5f8c82315e59","order_by":0,"name":"Nuno Miguel Rodrigues dos Santos","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAAAvElEQVRIiWNgGAWjYHAD5gOkqZdgYGBLALN4SNDCY0CcFnOJ3IMPf9TcqePnP/NN4ucOhjx7QlosZ+QlG/MceyYhOSN3m2TvGYZigrYY3Mgxk2ZgOyxhcIN3mzRjG0NiDzFaJH/8A2o5f+YZ8VokeNuAWg7ksBGp5cwbY2PevsOSM2ekGVv2npEo5jlASMvxHMOHP74d5ufnP/zwxs8dNnnsDYSsQQGMDRIJJGkAaWEgVcsoGAWjYBSMAAAAeNw8ktRzu+EAAAAASUVORK5CYII=","orcid":"","institution":"Universidade Católica Portuguesa","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Nuno","middleName":"Miguel Rodrigues dos","lastName":"Santos","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2026-04-13 09:41:25","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":"","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-9401967/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-9401967/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":107147014,"identity":"cc217e0f-e6f5-4f48-98cf-e60723201b60","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-04-17 10:04:26","extension":"pdf","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":268627,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"articleENFINALSUBMIT.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-9401967/v1_covered_743b4e5a-4e7b-44aa-9975-a9e124b28d89.pdf"}],"financialInterests":"No competing interests reported.","formattedTitle":"The Aestheticisation of Politics in the Digital Age: From Leni Riefenstahl to Computational Propaganda with AI","fulltext":[],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":false,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":true,"hideJournal":true,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":false,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":true,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":true,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true},"keywords":"Aestheticisation of politics, propaganda, Leni Riefenstahl, artificial intelligence, deepfakes, Walter Benjamin, Susan Sontag","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-9401967/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-9401967/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"This article examines the evolution of the aestheticisation of politics and mass propaganda, tracing a comparative line between the cinematic techniques of Leni Riefenstahl in Nazi Germany and contemporary strategies of computational propaganda and generative artificial intelligence (AI). Drawing on Walter Benjamin's theoretical frameworks on the \"aura\" of the work of art and the aestheticisation of politics, and on Susan Sontag's \"fascinating fascism\", it is argued that generative AI represents a new phase in mass manipulation. This technology amplifies and personalises historical propaganda tactics, eroding the \"aura\" of truth and contributing to an epistemic collapse. 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