Charisma Goes Viral: Péter Magyar and the Digital Construction of Political Authority

Charismatic leadership, long studied through face-to-face interaction, is increasingly shaped by digital performance. This paper examines how charismatic authority is constructed and amplified online through the case of Hungarian opposition leader Péter Magyar, whose rapid rise in 2024–25 marked one of the most dramatic political mobilisations in post-transition Hungary. Combining signalling theory and attributional models of charisma, we analyse 486 Facebook posts published during his campaign using quantitative content analysis and negative binomial regression. We identify four main dimensions of digital charismatic communication: (1) projection of exceptional personal qualities, (2) construction of a charismatic community, (3) visionary appeals, and (4) crisis framing. Our findings show that emotional and visionary signals are the most effective predictors of online engagement, while competence-based or institutional cues exert weaker effects. Magyar’s digital persona exemplifies the dual logic of contemporary charisma—appearing simultaneously extraordinary and relatable. His online storytelling transforms moral outrage and collective hope into affective mobilisation, illustrating how digital platforms reshape the emotional economy of leadership. By theorising digital charisma as a dynamic signalling process, the study demonstrates that authority in hybrid regimes depends less on formal power and more on affective resonance, symbolic identification, and mediated proximity. The Hungarian case reveals how charismatic mobilisation can emerge “from below,” through the algorithmic amplification of emotionally charged content and the reciprocal construction of leader–follower intimacy. This research contributes to debates on mediatised leadership, emotional politics, and the transformation of democratic legitimacy in the digital age, showing how charisma—once confined to rallies and rituals—now circulates virally through clicks, shares, and affective contagion.