Science

President Obama Is on Twitter: Who Should He Follow?

Aside from the usual suspects, who should Obama be following on Twitter?

by Lauren Sarner

Our tech-savvy POTUS finally has a twitter. Today at 11:38 AM, he tweeted, “Hey Twitter! It’s Barack. Really! Six years in, they’re finally giving me my own account.” In the first three hours it has already garnered more than 5,000 retweets, because everyone likes to feel like they're doing their part to crowd-source propaganda. 

Some quick Sherlocking reveals that Obama is primarily following the usual suspects — various state departments, various people in those state departments, almost every Chicago team, a handful of colleges, and of course Joe and Michelle. You know, people whose thoughts and opinions he already hears in abundance.

So, Mr. President, assuming you must be reading this, here is a list of suggestions for others you should follow:

1. This woman had 135 followers when you apparently followed her for a hot second and then unfollowed. We've all been there, Mr. President — Twitter etiquette is fickle, but having raised her hopes so, would it really hurt to meet those expectations? Do the right thing and follow 'er back.

2. Captain America. He tweeted you a warm welcome, complete with a salutary GIF. He even called you his best pal. This only makes sense in the context of the Marvel Universe, where these days no one really seems to take Cap seriously as anything but a co-worker. Follow him back and you really might be his best bud, Mr. President.

3. The Presidential Trivia Account, which includes important facts about his predecessors, like who had the best facial hair. These are things you need to know for matter of the state.

4. The original POTUS, Steve D’Alimonte. Never heard of him? Don’t see a portrait of him in the White House? He was the first to stake out @POTUS as a Twitter account. According to good old Steve he selected the name in the early days of Twitter because he loved The West Wing.

5. John Oliver. Because he's John Oliver. But also because his show is hardly a political show, it's a human show. He shines lights on the underdogs, from mothers with no maternity leave to chickens to Iraqi translators. He also looks into the dark underbellies of things most people find too boring to look into, like the Miss America Pagent, or infrastructure, or the Tobacco Industry. He'll make you take note of things you look over, and he's damn funny. His is advice you should be following, Mr. President.