In a world increasingly obsessed with social media,?? ?? ??? today's politicians have found a secret weapon: Instagram stories.
By documenting their daily activities using Instagram's Stories and Live features, rising political stars like Beto O'Rourke and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez have given supporters a rare glimpse at some of the most humanizing moments in their lives.
For many, the stripped down, extremely casual content -- think cooking dinner at home or doing DIY projects with family -- serves as a refreshing change from polished speeches and the formality of campaign trails. And so far political Instagram seems to be a big hit.
Not a regular dad. A cool dad.
Fans of Beto O'Rourke know that throughout the course of his Senate campaign the man didn't shy away from social media. He frequently shared photos, videos, and messages on Twitter and often went live on Facebook — usually while driving or visiting Whataburger.
This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.
But since O'Rourke conceded the midterm election to Ted Cruz, his primary social media outlet has been Instagram. Since his midterm loss, O'Rourke has eaten chips and guac in the car while driving, made homemade slime with his daughter, gone on a hike with his family, and even cooked a flank steak marinated in soy, lime, ginger, and freaking garlic.
SEE ALSO: Beto O'Rourke dropped the f-bomb on live TV and people love itI know all of this deeply personal information not because I have Twitter notifications turned on for him (which I do), but because he openly shared it with his 550,000 followers, in real time, on Instagram. We are not worthy.
This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.
This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.
At the end of the day, Beto's just a regular guy with a family who loves food and isn't going to let his loss keep him from living his life. And that's what makes his carefree IG Stories such an absolute mood.
Beto's content is so relatable that often people have no choice but to screenshot his posts and literally write "MOOD." And while everyone is, of course, entitled to privacy — especially following a public election loss — the fact that Beto's opening up to his followers and sharing bits of his family's life means a lot.
This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.
This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.
This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.
This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.
This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.
Remember after the 2016 election when people would rejoice when Hillary Clinton was spotted hiking in the woods or browsing a bookstore? People liked knowing she was surviving, thriving, and living her damn life. And though there are many parts of his day he doesn't show, Beto gives a similar sense of reassurance with his Instagram stories.
AOC is keepin' it real, too
Though Beto definitely has the "cool dad politician" gap filled, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez — the 29-year-old who just became the youngest woman elected to Congress — is making the most of Instagram's Story features, too.
In the days since midterms, she's used the social media platform to chat politics with her 507,000 followers while cooking up Instant Pot mac and cheese on a Friday night, publicly listen to Janelle Monáe, and give the world a glimpse of what it's like to do all that post-campaign laundry that builds up.
This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.
This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.
This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.
This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.
This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.
And Ocasio-Cortez doesn't seem to be stopping her livestreams any time soon. In fact, she recently announced on Twitter that she's going to hold regular "Instagram Live Cook + Q&A" sessions, during which she prepares food while answering questions from around the world. Could anyone be cooler?
This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.
Keep the Insta content coming
Instagram Stories debuted back in the summer of 2016 — with the Instagram Live feature coming out in November of that year. But since the app started developing new interactive features like GIFs and polls, more and more people are choosing it as the place to post their real time updates.
By June 2018, Instagram Stories reportedly had 400 million daily users — twice as many as Snapchat — so if there's ever been a time for politicians to hop on the bandwagon, now seems like a pretty good one.
America's youth voted at historic rates in the 2018 midterms, and while many factors contributed to the rise in young people at the polls, an appealing presence on Instagram certainly doesn't hurt when it comes to encouraging people to cast a ballot.
As Beto and Alexandria have shown us, it is possible for politicians to be extremely charming and relatable on Instagram. So if this is the future of politics, count us in.
Featured Video For You
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez makes history as she becomes the youngest woman ever in Congress