Digital fashion ideology: Towards a critical public sphere

Digital fashion communities are often portrayed as radical challengers to mainstream fashion, embodying digital utopianism that views technology as a liberating force. These communities are believed to reject industry hierarchies and adopt a countercultural stance. This study examines whether they truly embody such revolutionary ideals by analysing evidence gathered through an AI social listening platform. Despite the ambitious rhetoric, the findings show that online conversations within digital fashion often lack depth, relying on superficial slogans. The attitudes lack transformative resolve, reinforcing established industry hierarchies. This suggests digital fashion spaces have yet to function as meaningful public spheres, with commercial interests prevailing. This study, therefore, emphasises the importance of continuing education to develop critical thinking, as the discourse around digital fashion requires neither blind optimism nor pessimism, but rather careful deliberation of emerging practices and institutions at the physical-digital intersection.