‘Love Island.' Kendrick Lamar. Here's why Governor Maura Healey's Instagram is trending.

Boston Globe

08-08-2025

Politicians might not often be considered in tune with the latest social media trends, but the governor's account has often featured the latest pop culture references and trendy video styles.
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In February, Healey
to tout the large number of
While Healey's Instagram content is not limited to popular trends, they have been a regular presence, drawing both affection and
grumbling from readers.
'Suddenly I love the government,' one person commented on a 'Love Island'-themed post touting
'OMG!!!! Ready to pull the staffer with these memes for a chat!! Brilliant!!' another person commented on a post heralding the end of
renter-paid broker fees wrapped into a
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The person behind the Instagram page, which has more than 85,000 followers, is Allison Mitchell, 28, Healey's digital director
since she took office.
Mitchell's goal for the social media account is to meet people where they are.
'People, they care about what they care about, and if we can get them to care about something with a 'Love Island' post, that's great,' she said. '[The posts] cause people to stop and be like, 'Who posted that? Oh, the governor did.''
Allison Mitchell takes photos and videos of Governor Maura Healey at Camp Harbor View.
Suzanne Kreiter/Globe Staff
Politicians have long tried to capitalize on social media trends in hopes of building support among young voters.
journalists who do
'Social media, in particular, is really important for politicians and political organizations because it allows them to communicate directly to the public without having to go through a newspaper,' said Katherine Haenschen, an assistant professor of communication studies and political science at Northeastern University.
Haenschen, who researches the intersection of digital media and politics, said many voters now get the bulk of their information through social media.
'That's where you've got to be,' she said.
Instagram is used by about 50 percent of American adults, she said, citing
With a
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In an April post that received 170,000 views and more than 6,000 likes, Healey
'i'm bored,' the post read. 'tell me the most unhinged way you're celebrating Massachusetts 250 this weekend. and i don't mean like 'wearing a tricorne hat,' i mean like 'riding a horse around downtown boston.''
'I love the video of her riding the horse down Beacon Street,' Mitchell said. 'That was such an unexpected moment for everyone involved.'
Mitchell gets her ideas the way people might expect, scrolling through different forms of social media daily and late at night.
'There's no hack,' Mitchell said. 'There's no secret. It's just me probably up way later than I should be scrolling on my own phone, and that's how the ideas come to life.'
Allison Mitchell took video for social media content at a literary launch with children.
Annah Chaya/Governor's Office
The posts are part of a 'collaborative process' that includes Healey's entire communications team, Mitchell said. A lot of the time, members of the team will bounce ideas off each other with the goal of being 'as authentic as possible.' Healey is also involved in the process, she said, and of course, stars in the posts.
'It's really organic,' Mitchell said of the discussions.
Mitchell grew up in Somerset and attended Emerson College originally as a film major. She developed a passion for short-form videos and became immersed in politics.
She switched her major to political communications and after a couple of internships in the
field began working for the state's Democratic Party in 2019. She moved over to Healey's team at the attorney general's office in 2022.
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'I never thought when I was in college that this would be the route that I took,' she said. But 'I have no plans to do anything else anytime soon.'
Social media is a divisive place, and while many commenters seem to enjoy the account's light-hearted tone, there are many skeptics.
'You need to fire your social media manager,' one person commented on the 'Love Island'-themed
capital investment post.
'Did AI generate this for you, that's the only excuse,' another said.
Haenschen said social media posts will inevitably receive
'a range of feedback, some of it positive, some of it negative.'
'Her communication staff is going to look at what they post and what gets engagement, in terms of numbers, but also look at the tone and the tenor of that engagement, right? And ultimately, is this a net positive?' she said.
Thad Kousser, a political science professor at the University of California, San Diego, said the negative comments speak more to the culture of social media than public opinion toward the governor.
'People are used to both liking and disliking things on social media,' said Kousser, who studies politicians' use of social media. 'Both raving about it and ranting in the comments. Just because someone criticized something doesn't mean that this will change their vote.'
Even critics, he said, 'are at least paying attention to what she's saying.'
'What's most important is that it's captured their eyeballs,' he said.
Still, striking the right tone is crucial, he said.
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'What she really wants to avoid is viral backlash,' Kousser said. 'Anything where a governor needs to be gubernatorial, to have the solemnity of office. Those duties can't be mixed with social media and pop culture.'
The trendy posts also extend to TikTok, with
But Instagram is the mainstay, featuring a variety of posts with different tones. Since July 4, Healey has posted about the
Mitchell said she appreciates the 'immediate feedback' of social media
and emphasized that the account features a variety of content for different types of
voters.
'People shouldn't hesitate to [comment], but you can't please everybody,' Haenschen said. 'The internet is full of haters.'
Haenschen said she doesn't expect politicians' use of social media to slow down anytime soon.
'Slowly but surely millennials and gen Z are running for and holding elected office,' she said. 'Of course, they would use [social media]. That's just one of the natural ways they communicate.'
Healey is particularly fond of the
'flip camera trend,' Mitchell said. It features users using the back camera of a phone and writing congratulatory messages about themselves on the screen, only for the camera to flip to show the people taking the video.
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Allison Mitchell talked to Governor Maura Healey, phone in hand, as she prepared to shoot content for social media at the Red Sox game.
Josh Qualls/Governor's Office
The video ends with Healey and Driscoll 'accidentally' flipping the camera, revealing their laughing faces.
'The formula hasn't changed since newspapers were delivered in the mail by a horse and buggy,' Haenschen said. 'You have to communicate to the public through the channels they are already using.'
Ava Berger can be reached at