An Antihero’s Journey: The Political Campaign of Jair Bolsonaro and the use of Archetypes on Facebook

Authors

  • Vitor Matheus Beira Machado Federal University of Parana
  • Pedro Chapaval Pimentel Federal University of Parana
  • Bruno Eduardo Slongo Garcia Federal University of Parana

Keywords:

political communication, elections, politicians, Facebook, archetypes, antihero, Brazil

Abstract

In Brazil, the shift from the traditional media vehicles to an “electronic podium” has provided more flexibility in terms of time, costs, and language for candidates to elaborate their electoral campaigns. Given the extensive use of and the importance given to Facebook during Jair Bolsonaro’s campaign, this article assesses how the candidate depicted his image on his Fan Page. Drawing on the literature on political and electoral communication and brand archetypes, and based on a sample of 158 posts made by Bolsonaro’s Facebook Fan Page /jairmessias.bolsonaro between August and October 2018, it is argued that Bolsonaro’s marketing strategy developed a combination of two rival archetypes: the antihero. The study contributes to the literature on political brands showing that a narrative build simultaneously on a mythical/heroic and an outlaw favored the candidate in a context of political polarization.

Author Biographies

Vitor Matheus Beira Machado, Federal University of Parana

Federal University of Parana, Curitiba, Paraná, Brazil

Pedro Chapaval Pimentel, Federal University of Parana

Federal University of Parana, Curitiba, Paraná, Brazil

Bruno Eduardo Slongo Garcia, Federal University of Parana

Federal University of Parana, Curitiba, Paraná, Brazil

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Published

2021-02-23

Issue

Section

Studies & Articles