Contribution short abstract:

This paper examines "mafia ubiquity" focusing on 'ndrangheta transnational families from Calabria to the world. By analyzing TikTok accounts alongside field research, it highlights how digital communication influences mafia identity, perpetuates ideology, and shapes behaviors across cultures.

Contribution long abstract:

This paper explores the concept of "mafia ubiquity" through a dark anthropology lens, focusing on the radicalization processes within transnational families and communities associated with the 'ndrangheta, the mafia organisation from Calabria, extending from Calabria to digital platforms like TikTok. It examines how the intertwining of translocal and transnational identities shapes the behaviours, beliefs, and social dynamics of ‘ndrangheta members and families as they navigate multiple cultural contexts. By analyzing a series of TikTok accounts from within or around these families primarily between Calabria, Australia, Germany and Canada and by pairing the virtual ethnography with data from qualitative research on the field (in Australia and Italy), this study explores the dual pressures of maintaining traditional mafia values while adapting to new environments. The research underscores the role of digital communication in fostering connections across borders, facilitating not only the ubiquity of criminal groups and their social capital, but also the radicalization of younger generations exposed to both familial legacies and contemporary social media influences. Through a nuanced understanding of translocality and transnationalism, this paper reveals how the 'ndrangheta's presence in various locales, amplified and supported by specific narratives in platforms like TikTok, contributes to the perpetuation of its ideology and practices, ultimately reshaping and anchoring the identity of its members in a globalized world. The findings offer critical insights into the complexities of contemporary organized crime, identity formation, and the socio-cultural factors that drive radicalization within mafia communities.