What does it mean that Satan is "god of this world"? In 2 Corinthians 4, Paul refers to Satan as "god of this world".  What does it mean that Satan is god of this world?


  2 Corinthians 4:4 ESV 
  4 In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the
  unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the
  glory of Christ, who is the image of God.
You know, this is a good question.  Even though I understand the concept instinctively, I wasn't able to put it into words myself.  

The closest I can come in my own words is to give a bullet list of concepts that tie together to answer the question.


The Bible speaks of several "gods", none of whom are the true God  
A god (idol) is anything (a being, a concept) who is worshiped and obeyed instead of the one true God.

In this sense, your god could be your money, the television, the Internet - anything you count to be more important than God.

"This world" is largely anti-God. We are more concerned with earthly pleasures than we are in God and what He wants from us.
When we disobey God, we are obeying and following Satan, wittingly or unwittingly.  We are, in effect, worshiping him.


However, that looks completely unsatisfying when I look at it on the screen, so I cheated. I found a better answer elsewhere.  

How is Satan god of this world (2 Corinthians 4:4)? | GotQuestions.org

This article says everything I was trying to articulate but couldn't.

Here are two excerpts that say it MUCH better than I did:


  The phrase “god of this world” (or “god of this age” [NKJV]) indicates
  that Satan is the major influence on the mind-set expressed by the
  ideals, opinions, goals, hopes and views of the majority of people.
  His areas of influence also encompass the world’s philosophies,
  education, and commerce. The thoughts, ideas, speculations and false
  religions of the world are under his control and have sprung from his
  lies and deceptions.


...


  So, when the Bible says that Satan is the "god of this world," it is
  not saying that he has ultimate authority. It is conveying the idea
  that Satan rules over the unbelieving world in a specific way. In the
  case of 2 Corinthians 4:4, the unbeliever follows Satan's agenda.
  According to 2 Corinthians 4:4, the "god of this world has blinded the
  minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel
  of the glory of Christ." Satan's agenda includes pushing a false
  philosophy onto the unbelieving world—a false philosophy that blinds
  the unbeliever from the truth of the Gospel. Satan’s philosophies are
  the fortresses in which people are imprisoned, needing to be set free
  and brought captive to Christ in obedience to the truth.