The ‘mafia cultural drift’. A digital ethnography of Calabrian parochialism and 'ndrangheta values on TikTok

This study investigates the relationship between the ’ndrangheta, a mafia organisation from Calabria, Southern Italy and Calabrian parochialism on TikTok. This research explores where and how local culture (‘Calabrianness’) meets mafia subculture also considering the translocal nature of both ‘ndrangheta mobility and Calabrian migration. Using a passive digital ethnography approach, 225 TikTok videos were collected over 3 months; the analysis reveals how users engage with Calabrian culture and mafia values. The findings are categorised into a typology that distinguishes between superficial and radical (Calabrian) parochialism and varying levels of endorsement of mafia (‘ndrangheta) values. This research introduces the concept of ‘mafia cultural drift’ in digital spaces, highlighting the risks of (non-strategic) algorithm-led radicalisation in Calabrian parochialism when mixed to mafia values on algorithm-led platforms. This study argues that the ’ndrangheta inadvertently benefits from digital technology to influence its translocal identity by leveraging community perceptions of criminality.