Italian Politicians’ Usage of the Fairy Tale Model for the Electoral Campaign: An Analysis of the Immigration Issue on Instagram

Authors : Xheni Simaku

Pages : 155-188

Doi:10.53791/imgelem.1670003

View : 91 | Download : 370

Publication Date : 2025-12-28

Article Type : Review Paper

Abstract :The relationship between storytelling and politics is not new; it dates back to ancient Greece, where narratives served as vital tools for mediating the exchange between rulers and the ruled. As scholars have argued, our societies are saturated with stories that do more than entertain: They shape how we think, behave, and relate to the world. Fairy tales occupy a unique place within this narrative ecology. They are often the first stories people encounter in childhood, and thus subtly encode cultural values and ideological assumptions. In the digital age social media is now the central platform for political expression, identity formation, and public discourse: it has also widened the social, cultural, and political implications of fairy tales due to their potential to influence susceptible audiences with prejudice. No longer confined to the realm of childhood, fairy-tale motifs now circulate widely in political messaging, often repurposed to reinforce prejudices or sway opinion. This article focuses on the framework of fairy tales and political narratives, specifically how such narrative strategies were employed by five Italian political leaders during the campaign leading up to the general election of September 25, 2022. Through the issue of immigration, it analyzes how Enrico Letta (Partito Democratico), Silvio Berlusconi (Forza Italia), Giorgia Meloni (Fratelli d’Italia), Matteo Salvini (Lega Nord), and Giuseppe Conte (Movimento 5 Stelle) crafted and disseminated their messages via Instagram, using storytelling, implicitly or explicitly, to frame their political positions and appeal to voters.
Keywords : peri masalları, sosyal medya, İtalya seçimleri, Instagram, göç

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