SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Social media users on Facebook and Instagram were taken by surprise this week as they found themselves unwittingly following the accounts of President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance following the presidential inauguration. This unexpected occurrence was due to users’ prior following of official U.S. government accounts, according to Meta spokesman Andy Stone.
Stone elaborated in a Threads post that the official POTUS and White House accounts, managed by the White House, undergo changes in alignment with the occupants of the White House. Similar transitions apply to the accounts of the U.S. vice president and first lady, ensuring continuity and preservation of followers’ connections.
In the aftermath of a presidential inauguration, the social media accounts of the preceding administration are transitioned to an archived state to retain historical posts and followers. These followers are subsequently redirected to the newly established official accounts of the incoming administration, maintaining a seamless transfer of digital engagement.
As of Tuesday morning, the archived POTUS account of former President Joe Biden boasted an impressive 11 million followers on Facebook, mirroring the audience size of Trump’s official POTUS account. Users seeking to manage their account preferences can easily unfollow unwanted accounts by navigating to the profile page, clicking the ellipsis, and selecting the options to “unfollow” or “block.”
The transition of social media accounts following a change in presidential leadership serves as a digital reflection of the broader shift in governance. With millions of followers seamlessly transferred between administrations, the interconnected nature of online platforms underscores the significance of digital diplomacy in contemporary politics.
