Vol. 7, Issue 2, Part G (2025)

Max Weber’s concept of charisma was developed to explain forms of authority grounded in the recognition of extraordinary personal qualities often emerging in moments of crisis and sustained through emotional devotion rather than tradition or law. In contemporary society, charisma has increasingly migrated from physical gatherings and institutional spaces to digital platforms where social media gurus, influencers and spiritual entrepreneurs command massive followings. This paper attempts to examine how Weberian charisma is reconfigured in the age of social media arguing that charisma has not declined under conditions of modern rationalization but has been technologically reshaped through visibility, performance, algorithmic circulation etc. Drawing on Weber’s theory of authority and insights from media sociology, the study explores how digital platforms alter the production, recognition and routinization of charismatic power. Social media enables charisma to operate through visual storytelling, emotional appeal, constant interaction while metrics such as followers, likes, shares etc. become indicators of legitimacy. Unlike classical charismatic authority rooted in face-to-face recognition, digital charisma is sustained through mediated intimacy and parasocial relationships that blur boundaries between devotion, consumption and self-help. The paper also highlights how platform algorithms actively participate in amplifying certain charismatic figures introducing new forms of power that shape belief and influence beyond individual agency. At the same time digital charisma becomes rapidly routinized through monetization, branding and institutionalization echoing Weber’s insights on the fragile and unstable nature of charismatic authority. By revisiting Weber in the context of social media, the paper contributes to contemporary debates on religion, power and public culture showing that charisma today operates as a hybrid form of authority where emotional devotion, technological mediation and market logics intersect.