White House joins Snapchat ahead of State of the Union address

The President’s residence is joining the massively popular social media app in order to stay on-trend with various noteworthy professional and social groups, like celebrities and, most importantly, politicians.

Users can follow the account by either adding “WhiteHouse” as a friend or by scanning a snapcode provided on the White House site.

“At the White House, our digital strategy centers around meeting people where they are”.

Josh Miller, the White House’s director of product management, made the announcement in a blog post where he said that the White House “aims to provide the American people with a multitude of ways to engage with their government”. On January 12, 2016, the White House will update its Story again to take followers behind-the-scenes of State of the Union preparations.

Last year, Obama launched a second Twitter account, under the handle @POTUS, and he also launched a new Facebook Page.

Following the address on Wednesday, viewers can engage with more than 50 administration officials on Twitter, including the first lady and the vice president. Announcing Michelle Obama’s guest list on Sunday, the White House said the seat would represent “the victims of gun violence who no longer have a voice”. And the President is going to go wherever his message will reach the farthest. Given Snapchat’s ephemeral nature, in which content is meant to be short lived, will that be an issue?

A White House official explained, “because they need the rest of us to speak for them”.

The first post from the official account may be a hint at the kind of access we can expect, it’s a snap of the oval office, although no Obama just yet. “Occasionally that content may find its way onto other platforms”.