Inside: The Aaditya Thackeray Social Media Strategy

With the youth leader creating waves in Maharashtra politics, Social Samosa dives into the Aaditya Thackeray Social Media Strategy.

Recently, Aaditya Thackeray created waves by standing as a candidate from Worli constituency in the upcoming Maharashtra Assembly Elections. Known for his love for football, this youth leader has been trying to create an image for himself that is palatable to young persons while staying in sync with the identity and legacy that backs him. We take a look at the way the Aaditya Thackeray Social Media Strategy and unravel how it seems to have changed over time.

Social Media Footprint

Facebook: 173K followers

Twitter: 1.9M followers

Instagram: 154K followers

The young Thackeray has been furiously protesting against the felling of trees at the Aarey Colony. This is something he received flak for as his party, Shiv Sena, holds significant power in the state. Much of this happened on social media, especially Twitter.

Why Aarey needs to be saved: It’s not just about 2700 trees, it’s about protecting an ecosystem of flora fauna within a city as dense as Mumbai, something we should be proud of and protect fiercely. https://t.co/JScBQhTXbM

— Aaditya Thackeray (@AUThackeray) September 5, 2019

Another prominent event in his social media life has been about supporting the presence of government organs like BMC, BEST, and TMC on the micro-blogging website. He often retweets them as well as shows gratitude for the work done by government officials. During monsoon this year, he actively disseminated information, amplifying the work of the municipality.

The @mybmc medical team on its way to Kolhapur along with medicines. Pest Control staff also been sent. https://t.co/5MYFdCHZ0M

— Aaditya Thackeray (@AUThackeray) August 9, 2019

Candid to candidacy

As someone who comes from a prominent political family, Aaditya’s communication has never been bereft of public appearances that are political in nature. However, ever since he announced candidacy, his social media presence has started mirroring profiles of politicians at large.

View this post on Instagram

Trying my hand at selfie. And Prisma.

A post shared by Aaditya Thackeray (@adityathackeray) on Dec 16, 2016 at 4:45am PST

Also Read: Know Your Leader: Cabinet 2019

View this post on Instagram

Extremely pleased to have kicked off the Mumbai District Football Association- Super Division games at Mumbai Football Arena, Andheri! Mumbai Football Arena was made by MDFA and BKLP to have the MDFA and school boys and girls tournaments at the best ground. Whilst we host grassroots tournaments, it's also very important to create and make available best infrastructure for grassroots tournaments. I'm happy that we've been able to make available Mumbai Football Arena used by Indian Football Team and ISL for Mumbai footballers! #Mumbai #Football #IndianFootballTeam #MDFA #AndheriSportsComplex #MFA

A post shared by Aaditya Thackeray (@adityathackeray) on Oct 14, 2016 at 5:36am PDT

So, while before he could be seen sharing candid shots and comparatively casual pictures at sporting events, now his profiles are full to the brim with rally images against saffron backdrops. He is almost always wearing white, playing the part of someone looking to lead the state government is whatever capacity people allow him.

View this post on Instagram

Jan Ashirwad Yatra 2.0 As we wrap up the second phase of the JAY, this yatra covered 28 assembly constituencies over 1237 km in 7 Districts in 5 Days. The last day we were in Beed & Georai. This also had “Aaditya Samwad with Students, another one with farmers and one with women!” I’m travelling across the State to seek blessings of the people, their love beyond political and social frontiers. #JAYMaharashtra

A post shared by Aaditya Thackeray (@adityathackeray) on Aug 4, 2019 at 8:10am PDT

Legacy and social media

It is interesting how Thackeray is using his social media profiles to disseminate specific communication. On Twitter, he shares updates and opinions. His Facebook page is a documentation of the public meetings he is addressing as a part of his campaign. On Instagram, he posts only highlights and thus the frequency of posting is much less.

View this post on Instagram

After seeking the blessings of my grandfather and then my entire family of @shivsena , along with the voters, I filed my nomination today to contest as a candidate from Worli Vidhan Sabha. I thank all those who came out in huge numbers to support me and those who sent me their love and blessings from across the country. #HichTiVel #Maharashtra #Mumbai #Worli

A post shared by Aaditya Thackeray (@adityathackeray) on Oct 3, 2019 at 10:16am PDT

Much of the communication put forth by Aaditya revolves around Mumbai and Maharashtra. He is participative in relevant conversations and often amplifies the opinions of people that are in sync with his narrative. Mostly, he communicates in English and his target audience seems to be of made up of young persons. It would be interesting to see how he communicates after the results of the elections are out.

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