President Obama joined Twitter yesterday. Though many people assumed long-running account @BarackObama was actually the president—it's Twitter verified, after all—that handle is run, with his approval, by the nonprofit Organizing for Action. Obama himself will now purportedly be tweeting from @POTUS. Here's his first tweet:
In 24 hours, the account has amassed 1.86 million followers and @POTUS has tweeted twice more: a photo of Obama visiting police in Camden, New Jersey, and a jokey reply to Bill Clinton. Behold the world we now live in, my friends:
@BillClinton/Twitter
@POTUS/Twitter
Just two dudes, chumming it up on Twitter! The "presidents: they're just like us!" aesthetic of it all creates a strange illusion of intimacy. Obama and Clinton are (like most of us on social media, to some extent) practically begging others to develop parasocial relationships. And if Twitter is particularly good at fostering these sorts of connections, it also, like the Internet more generally, invites another sort of mass delusion:
It is the great democratizer; the global water cooler; the one place where you can say anything to anyone and know it'll be okay.
That's Caitlin Dewey at The Washington Post, who scoffs at such naivety:
On the modern Internet, impressions of anonymity and ephemerality are, well … usually fake. Case in point? After Barack Obama belatedly joined Twitter on Monday — in his official, presidential capacity — dozens of Twitter denizens began tweeting him sex jokes, threats and other unprintable inanities. (We counted nearly 500 tweets dropping f-bombs at POTUS in the past day.) But the joke's actually on them: Not only does the Secret Service alreadymonitor Twitter for threats, but the White House is archiving each and every thing @POTUS tweeters say.
The @POTUS Twitter bio states this plainly: "Tweets may be archived: http://wh.gov/privacy." But that hasn't stopped the folks of Twitter from going to town @POTUS anyway. Will they come to regret it? Only time will tell. For now, let's just enjoy the kinds of things people feel compelled to tweet at the president…
@POTUS tits or gtfo — THATGUY (@pushup_demigod) May 18, 2015
@potus @bloomberg Hey #Satan, its me JOHN IN MEXICO. Lets stay in touch, shall we? I am easy to find. You are 2, in #lakeoffire. — John Nagel (@MexConex) May 18, 2015
Hey @POTUS do you have any concerns about the Blonde across the narrow sea? She has dragons they say. #draghazi — Dan Moran (@DanJMoran) May 19, 2015
@POTUS ur the greatest feminist besides mulan and Beyonce fam…. bless u for blocking the meninist — young dad of 6 (@JadeTheEgg) May 19, 2015
I respect the office of @POTUS not the man currently occupying it. #Liberty, #InGodWeTrust, #ePluribusUnum — USA Values (@_Alec_P) May 18, 2015
@POTUS do not talk to me Satan — sosa354 (@KonjeMrjro43) May 18, 2015
.@POTUS fuck me in the ass — mae (@TERRIFlCTYLER) May 18, 2015
@POTUS I have been trying to reach you for 2 yrs. "God has spoken" UFOS & Aliens are real. http://t.co/DaxEPi8wtc — Susie S Mozell-Smith (@7hisGrace) May 18, 2015
@POTUS fist me daddy — ? (@BrunosKilos) May 18, 2015
@POTUS NO ONE GIVES A SHIT — jenan (@jxnann) May 19, 2015
.@POTUS – welcome to Twitter, Mr. President. 1.2 million new followers in 10 hours? That's @TheEllenShow selfie popular. — Steny Hoyer (@WhipHoyer) May 19, 2015
@bigblueonyou @VLADDO @POTUS I'm born in 66 am I a hipster ? If so fuck off my location is n while pages come get me ass hole — Kevin Ward Eubanks (@EubanksWard) May 19, 2015
Fuck You @POTUS Time Travelling Cunt. — Don't Mention GAZA (@SAZMATI) May 18, 2015
.@POTUS Dear Mr. President. There are too many states nowadays. Please eliminate three. P.S. I am not a crackpot — Sheldon Walsh (@sheldonwalsh) May 19, 2015
Hey @POTUS fancy a cheeky nandos with the boys? — Andy Toft (@thejollywaiter) May 19, 2015
Dear @POTUS: What is your favorite flavor of Pringles? I like the barbecue but the pizza chips are good too. Sincerely, @notjessewalker — Jesse Walker (@notjessewalker) May 19, 2015
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