Myths and Symbols in Barack Obama’s Campaign

Abstract

The use of social networks on the Internet played a fundamental role in Barack Obama’s electoral win in the latest round of presidential elections in the United States. An analysis of this phenomenon provides a guideline for visualizing their influence on the cultural and political transformation of society, insofar as social networks provide for broad participation on the part of citizens that is coherent with democratic ideals. However, the success of Barack Obama’s bid for the presidency cannot be attributed exclusively to the use of social networks and the media. The confluence between these elements and the weight of meaning of the messages rooted in the myths of origin and in their symbolic representations played a role as well.