Miss the Obamas? Follow them on social media
The Obamas may have left the White House, but you can still follow them. Here's how.
President and Mrs. Obama used to use the social media accounts that are specifically for the POTUS and First Lady in office. Now that their time in the White House is over, they have their own accounts. Here's how to keep up with the Obamas.
The presidential couple's history online
The Obamas made history with their online lives. While in office, President Obama garnered over 13 million followers, while Michelle gained 6 million. They were the first presidential couple to use social media.
President Obama was the first to:
- Be @POTUS on Twitter
- Go live on Facebook from the Oval Office
- Answer questions from citizens on YouTube
- Use a filter on Snapchat
The Obama White House created official accounts for every major social media site. US citizens have never had such an abundance of ways to connect with their president.
The Twitter account for archiving President Obama's Tweets.
Saving history
President Obama's tweets, snaps and other social media posts are archived at the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), so they can be accessed just like all other presidential records.
At the end of President Obama's term, his posts were moved to social media handles that end in "44," marking them as belonging to the 44th presidential term, and archived. For example, President Obama's tweets are now at @POTUS44.
Where to follow them now
When the Obamas left the White House, they moved to new social media accounts. President Obama has moved from @POTUS on Twitter to @BarackObama, where he has over 87 million followers. You can also follow him on Facebook, where he has over 54 million followers, and Instagram, where he has over 14 million followers.
Michelle Obama on Snapchat.
Michelle Obama is hardly a slouch when it comes to followers, either. She has moved from @FLOTUS to @MichelleObama on Twitter, where she has over 7 million followers.
You can also follow her on:
- Facebook and join her more than 17 million followers
- Instagram, where she has more than 13 million followers
- Snapchat at MichelleObama
You can also follow the Obama Foundation on its official YouTube channel.
Update, May 1: This story was originally published on January 20 and has been updated.
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