@POTUS: How the transition of power on social media will unfold

On Wednesday, Biden and his team will have access to a long list of official government accounts on major social media platforms, including the @POTUS account on Twitter. At the touch of a button, the Biden government will inherit a digital megaphone with the potential to make news and shape the public image of the US government.

The transfer of these official accounts, representing not only those representing Biden and the White House, but almost every government arm, has emerged as an important aspect of the broader transition of power, especially after Twitter became President Donald’s favorite online platform. Trump has become. .

“It certainly has great symbolic value,” David Lazer, a professor of political science and computer science, told Northeastern University. “The core of Twitter regarding Trump’s brand and identity has made the moment much more important.”

In addition to the @POTUS account, which was created during the Obama administration, Twitter will transfer @WhiteHouse, @VP, @FLOTUS and @PressSec to the new administration. Twitter also created a new account, @SecondGentleman, for Kamala Harris Vice President Doug Emhoff’s husband.

This is only the second such transition between US presidential administrations for Twitter, launched in 2006. But unlike the transition four years ago, the Biden government will not inherit the tens of millions of followers on every account. Instead, people on Twitter who previously followed the White House’s official Twitter accounts or are currently following ‘relevant’ Twitter and Biden or Harris accounts will receive in-app alerts and other notifications about the archiving process and the option to track the new accounts, the company. said in a blogpos.

The decision has given rise to criticism from the Biden camp, which has said it ‘unnecessarily politicizes what should otherwise be a routine transfer of communication from one government to the next. From Tuesday evening the @POTUS account had about 33 million followers, while the @FLOTUS and @ VP accounts had 16 million and 10 million, respectively.

Twitter’s approach contrasts with other social networks such as Snapchat and YouTube, which have said that the government in Biden will keep the current followers on the respective White House accounts.

Facebook and its subsidiary Instagram will transfer accounts on both platforms, such as the POTUS and FLOTUS Facebook pages and the White House Instagram account, to Biden’s team. These platforms will also duplicate the followers on Joe Biden’s Facebook page and Instagram account to the official POTUS page and account.

Although the Biden team may not inherit all the Twitter followers, it will not start all over again. Biden’s @ Transition46 account on Twitter becomes @WhiteHouse, the @PresElectBiden account becomes @POTUS, @SenKamalaHarris becomes @VP, @FLOTUSBiden becomes @FLOTUS, and @PressSecPsaki becomes @PressSec.

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