And in these exceptionally partisan times, some see the president’s prodigious use of social media as just another example of the cozy political relationship between the political left and Hollywood and Silicon Valley.
But the approach raises the prospect of fostering further political polarization if the president opts to communicate mostly with parts of the electorate that identify with him ideologically or can be helpful politically.Ĭritics worry that governance by social media will cheapen the power of the presidency by substituting hashtag activism for serious policymaking. The White House can reach more people without the filter of the traditional media, target its audience with precision and receive almost immediate feedback. The new strategy offers benefits as well as risks. Author Juliet Eilperin writes of the robust social media strategy: On Facebook, the profile picture change was “liked” by Mark Zuckerberg, the CEO of the social media giant.Ī recent profile by the Washington Post says that the White House Office of Digital Strategy currently has 14 employees, more than George W. Posted by The White House on Friday, June 26, 2015
