Position Paper 3 // Social Media // Greg Abbott

Social media has become quite the talking point for not just a few politicians, but basically all politicians. It has formed into the idea that if you do not have a complementary social media thumbprint, then you are most likely to not finish at the top of your ballot. Are you down to earth? What do you stand for? Will you protect me and my rights? These are all questions that are constantly asked during election times. 

There is a reason why Governor Greg Abbott has been named the Governor of Texas three times now. His voters are seeing his social media feed, or are just looking to stay informed in their own beliefs and wants. Governor Abbott has brought pleasure through his advertisements to his voters for years now. The use of social media for Governor Abbott has been fairly great, especially on his Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook pages. These three pages in particular are definitely his best, but not all social medias (Youtube) are as great. Almost all of Governor Abbott's posts across the three main platforms are going to be similar besides the difference in what those specific social medias present to its users. 

Instagram

Governor Abbott's Instagram page is actually surprisingly active. Of course this is due to his media team staying on top of keeping his image at a top tier level for his candidacy. Governor Greg Abbott's Instagram feed covers multiple talking points in political strategy, especially for the Republican mindset that he is trying to target while also obtaining any and all votes that he can possibly receive. Abbott's platform use of Instagram is used mostly for posting short videos of his personality along with his political campaigning. This side of social Abbott is really the "down to earth" version of him. He uses the platform to connect to his voters rather than using Instagram as a way to spread a multitude of news stories. One of the largest forms of attention that Governor Abbott might use is the state of Texas' love for football, or just sports in general. He always shows his support to nearly every team that people know about nationally, but his heart lies with his alma mater, the University of Houston. He shows out to plenty of games all around the state, especially the big ones like Texas A&M Aggies' Kyle Field and the Texas Longhorns' DKR Stadium. One game he showed his love for the Red River Rivalry this year between the Oklahoma Sooners and the Texas Longhorns. 

Twitter

What do people typically use Twitter for? Well if you say anything besides sharing news, blogs, or video links, then what are you using Twitter for? Governor Abbott uses Twitter almost like how every decent politician would. The Texas native makes sure to share anything and everything that is related to whatever might be closely related to him and his campaigns. If it's not directly related to him, then it is related to other Republican representatives that the Governor of Texas wants to see in some sort of office. 

'Republicans secure majority in the House of Representatives'

Now, Congress must fully fund border security.

Impeach Mayorkas, defund the 87K IRS agents, hire 87K new Border agents, & demand Biden fulfill his constitutional duty to secure the border.https://t.co/TXuiOUOIW8

— Greg Abbott (@GregAbbott_TX) November 17, 2022

Greg Abbott is one of largest voices in the country, especially since he is the leader of one of the largest swing states in the country. Even though we might not hear him through the text on our screen literally, we definitely can "hear" Governor Abbott's voice. Governor Abbott has used Twitter in ways that seem more outspoken than his other social media accounts. The platform has been known for people not holding back, and Greg Abbott follows the Twitter trend. He specifically uses the platform to "call out", or "attack" the opposing political spectrum. Specifically, this is referring to President Biden or those who run against and disagree with Abbott like Beto O'Rourke. There is clearly more to Governor Abbott's Twitter account than just him bashing other politicians. His media team, or him, makes sure to share about anything that might go right in his political efforts. Not just that, but yes he shares even more about sports in his Twitter feed just like his Instagram. Lately, Governor Abbott made sure to share that the MLB All-Star Game will be hosted in Arlington, Texas in 2024. The governor made sure to show his excitement with the post given on November 17th. 

BIG news!

The 2024 @MLB All-Star Game is coming to Arlington, the home of our very own Texas @Rangers.

Looking forward to welcoming baseball fans from all over to the Lone Star State! pic.twitter.com/EmkxRw7SfY

— Greg Abbott (@GregAbbott_TX) November 17, 2022

Facebook

Now onto the Texas State Governor's most popular social media platform he has, Facebook. Governor Abbott's Facebook page again is very similar to his other platforms, specifically Twitter. Since Facebook is not very different from just being another version of Twitter, it makes sense why the Governor's post would be nearly identical. The Governor is going to cover a much larger scale of what he is pushing for as the face of the state, but it is easy to tell why his Facebook has 1.5 million followers. When you're as big of a name in this country as Greg Abbott is and you share as much as he is on his social media platforms, then something like 1.5 million Facebook followers is gonna come along. Here is another example of Governor Abbott trying to attract those in the state that care about sports by talking about the Texas Longhorns Men's Basketball team beating the #2 ranked Gonzaga Zags. 

Final

From the three social media platforms that have been covered for Governor Greg Abbott, you can see that something he is doing is working. Winning three straight gubernatorial elections is no small feat, but especially in a state with as much authority as Texas.