European software users often pick slower and pricier programs just because the developers are local.
April 20, 2026
Original Paper
Searching for European Alternatives: Digital Sovereignty, Digital Patriotism, and the Emerging Geopolitics of Software Adoption
arXiv · 2604.15767
The Takeaway
European companies and government agencies are moving away from the standard rule of choosing the most efficient tool for the job. Workers and managers previously prioritized cost and usability above all else. This shift toward digital patriotism means organizations intentionally accept inferior technical performance to keep data and money within their own borders. A software suite that is 20% less productive might still win a contract if it provides a sense of geopolitical security. This indicates that ideology is becoming a more powerful market force than functional quality in the workplace.
From the abstract
Software adoption has traditionally been understood through instrumental lenses, such as usability, cost, security, and interoperability. We argue that a new, ideological dimension is reshaping adoption decisions: one we term digital patriotism, the individual counterpart to the state ideology of digital sovereignty. Through two studies, we trace this phenomenon. First, a directed content analysis of decisions made by European government agencies to switch away from de facto technology standards