Italy’s mafia, long associated with secrecy, violence, and a rigid code of silence, is undergoing a striking transformation. In a shift that mirrors the broader digital revolution in society, Italian crime clans are moving from covert operations to overt spectacle-leveraging social media platforms like TikTok to reshape their image, recruit followers, and even explore new avenues for financial gain. A recent report by the Italian think tank Fondazione Magna Grecia, titled “Mafias in the Digital Age,” highlights this unprecedented trend, illustrating how organized crime is entering the era of social media influence.

The study, presented to United Nations officials in New York, analyzed over 6,000 TikTok posts from 2023 and 2024. It examined videos, user profiles, hashtags, emojis, music tracks, and even branded content. The researchers concluded that Italy’s mafia is increasingly packaging its criminal culture as consumable entertainment, a “heroic fiction” designed to attract young people with the allure of luxury, power, and quick money. This digital rebranding transforms the mafioso from a feared criminal into a pop culture figure whose persona can resonate across the globe.

Antonio Nicaso, a professor at Queen’s University and an expert on organized crime, explained, “This convergence confirms that the digital environment has become a global arena for the adaptation and diffusion of criminal cultures, blurring boundaries between organized crime and popular culture.” According to Nicaso, the Italian mafia’s approach is less overtly violent than in traditional media portrayals,........

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