Back to the future with Donald Trump

Purpose The aim of the article is to use the social rather than individual phenomenon of “Donald Trump” to explain the radical changes in the form of society that have already taken place. Design/methodology/approach In methodological terms, the article explains the consequences of different socially dominant forms of communication. In this way, it demonstrates that communication via social media changes the structure of society to the extent that it privileges personality-oriented, morality-prone observations over fact-based observations or assessments, and thus restores pre-modern conditions, at least in this respect. Findings The article attempts to show that the functional differentiation of modern society – which separated spheres such as politics, science and economics – is being corrupted by the increasing dominance of communication through social media that emphasizes morality and personality over factual competence. Originality/value The system-theoretical connection between different historical forms of communication and social structures observed here is not original. What is original, however, is the identification of social media as an increasingly dominant form of communication that has the potentially corrupting power to transform modern society.