Web Campaigns: Popular Culture and Politics in the U.S. and French Presidential Elections

Abstract

This study examines the campaign websites of presidential candidates during the 2007 election in France and the 2008 presidential campaign in the U.S. Positing the Internet and social networks as a manifestation of popular culture, it examines the reasons for the use of information technology in electoral campaigns. It also attempts to elucidate the reasons for the adoption of the codes of popular culture by exploring the concept of informalization as well as the significance of emotion in online campaign strategies.

Keywords: Internet, elections, campaigns, politics, website, popular, culture, emotion, informality, aesthetics, Facebook, YouTube