How Obama Used Social Media Throughout His Presidency

Does social media pick the president? Maybe, but it certainly seems like it makes the president more connected to his constituency. President Barack Obama used social media extensively throughout his eight years in the White House. The president, his wife Michelle, and his team used social media to spread the message about policies and to gauge the opinions of his constituency. The following are four of the most significant ways that Obama used different social media platforms during his presidency.

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YouTube Videos
In 2015, Obama appeared in a popular, viral Buzzfeed video, “Things Everybody Does But Doesn’t Talk About, Featuring President Obama.” But the president didn’t need to go out of the White House to make videos. White House officials posted more than 400 videos to their official YouTube channel. Obama has also been featured on YouTube stars’ channels. For example, he had an interview with GloZell Green, one of the platform’s superstars, during his tenure.

Live Streaming
On a number of the president’s State of the Union addresses, the White House has streamed the videos. Many of these videos are supplemented by slides that helped viewers follow along more easily. For example, Obama’s video about climate change and issues at the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner was the most-watched Facebook video published by an American politician.

Twitter
@TheWhiteHouse was a popular account on Twitter, and the president used the platform in many ways. The account posted status updates on various international actions and policies, and often also included custom infographics. The president himself tweeted from @POTUS, and earned over a million followers in a few hours when he sent out his first tweet in May 2015. The president’s wife, tweeting from @FLOTUS, also has millions of followers.

Medium
The White House also posted blogs on Medium, a platform created by the digital director for the White House and Twitter’s co-founders. The president does post on the platform, as do staffers, who often post proposals for various plans.

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