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

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 the theoretical frameworks of Walter Benjamin on the "aura" of the work of art and the aestheticisation of politics, and of Susan Sontag on the "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. The article introduces two original concepts — "algorithmic aura" and "body without aura" — that extend Benjamin's framework to the domain of AI. The "algorithmic aura" is defined as the appearance of authenticity and singularity generated by AI-produced synthetic content: a simulation of Benjaminian original presence that is mass-produced and devoid of any historical "here and now". The analysis is grounded in paradigmatic case studies including the 2023 Slovak electoral deepfake and the proliferation of AI-generated political imagery in 2024 campaigns. Preprint submitted to Media, Culture & Society (SAGE Publications). Under double-blind peer review. Not to be updated while under editorial evaluation.