U.S. Digital Hegemony in Dispute

: Internal Tensions, External Pressures, and a Leadership in Crisis

Abstract

This article analyzes the political and economic foundations of the United States' digital hegemony, focusing on its historical consolidation and the current tensions it faces. Drawing on a critical political economy perspective, it examines how the U.S.-led platform capitalism model—driven by major tech companies—has become a central vector of economic, symbolic, and normative power, aligning public and private interests around the national techno-industrial complex. The study identifies a relative crisis in this hegemony, driven by three main factors: external pressures from regulatory processes in other countries, especially in Europe; China's technological rise as a systemic competitor; and a growing internal loss of legitimacy, reflected in lawsuits, legislative proposals, and increasingly critical public opinion. Through an analysis of economic, commercial, and technological indicators, the paper argues that Big Tech’s power is being challenged both externally and internally, including by the U.S. state itself. The article concludes that this contradiction places the U.S. government in a strategic dilemma: to limit the power of its digital companies without weakening their role in geopolitical projection. In light of this scenario, the article raises an open question about the possible resolutions and highlights that the crisis of digital hegemony opens a window of opportunity to revive discussions on technological sovereignty, particularly in the Global South.