Beyond the Neutrality of Technology

Abstract This review article engages with contemporary debates surrounding technological neutrality through an analysis of two seminal works: Johannes Thumfart’s The Liberal Internet in the Postliberal Era ( 2024 ) and Alex Capri’s Techno-Nationalism (2025). Challenging long-held assumptions about technology’s impartiality, both authors demonstrate how digital infrastructures have become deeply entangled with political power, ideological contestation, and geopolitical strategy. The discussion unfolds through three key themes. The Central Paradox traces the reversal of early techno-optimism, exposing how seemingly neutral technical systems actively construct social realities, entrench structural inequalities, and advance specific political agendas. Where digital technologies were once heralded as tools of liberation, they now function as instruments of control, with their design and deployment reflecting the values and interests of dominant actors. Techno-Nationalism and Digital Sovereignty examines the fracturing of global digital governance, where nations increasingly treat technology as an extension of state power. Case studies illustrate competing visions of digital sovereignty that prioritize national security and ideological control over universal connectivity. Postliberal Governance analyzes the rise of corporate platform power, where tech giants operate as quasi-sovereign entities, governing speech, commerce, and social interaction through opaque systems masked by claims of neutrality. This assesses how platform architecture and content moderation policies institutionalize private governance while evading democratic accountability. The review concludes by outlining future research directions and policy imperatives, calling for interdisciplinary approaches to interrogate technology’s normative dimensions and advocating governance models that prioritize transparency, inclusivity, and public oversight in an increasingly fragmented digital landscape.