Postmodern Without Modernization: Ages, Phases, and Stages of Political Communication and Digital Campaigns in Brazil (2010–2020)

Abstract

This article aims to analyze the consequences of digital media on elections and democracy in Brazil from a historical perspective. It will do this by reviewing the ages, phases, and stages of political communication, proposing a contextual description of media and politics in Brazil, and historicizing digital campaigns in the country from 2010 to 2020. It will discuss the Brazilian context concerning the canonical historical approaches and debate the radicalization of Brazilian politics and the equalization of electoral campaigns. Besides that, it will suggest a holistic conception to understand the stages of political communication and digital campaigns in Brazil: the notion of “postmodern without modernization,” following Néstor Canclini’s idea of modernism without modernization for Latin America.