Ideology After the Disappearance of the Subject. Agency and Networks: Who Produces Meanings Today?

Abstract

This article analyzes the transformation of subjectivity in ideological communication within the context of digital society. Based on the understanding of ideology as a system of universalizable meanings that claim normative interpretation of political reality, the authors examine the transition from an institutionally fixed and asymmetrical communication model to distributed forms of meaning production. It is shown that digitalization disrupts the link between the subject's intention and the outcome of ideological discourse, necessitating a theoretical shift from the category of subjectivity to the category of agency. Methodologically, the research relies on actor-network theory, which allows for the interpretation of ideological communication as an effect of the interaction of multiple actors (internet users). It is demonstrated that in the digital environment, ideological meanings are formed through collective interpretation, and their final significance is determined not by the author, but by the configuration of network interactions. The conclusion is drawn that contemporary ideological communication loses its centralized character and takes the form of a polycentric, dynamic, and weakly controlled process, in which the network acts as a key actor in the production of ideological effects.