An automated bot is making it possible to reach President Obama with just a few touches of a smartphone. The White House announced yesterday, August 10, that you can now get in touch with POTUS on Facebook Messenger, The Next Web reports.
With the new bot, you can reach out to the president the same way you talk to your friends, making it easier for younger Americans to get involved with the democratic process. You can send the White House Facebook page critiques, questions, thoughts on policy, words of adoration, alien conspiracy theories, or even a fun story you think President Obama would just love. It's a bot, so there's an automated prompt that pops up when you go to start the message. No need to deal with the anxiety of a blank page.
President Obama hired the first White House Chief Digital Officer last year in an effort to expand the executive branch’s digital outreach efforts. In addition to the new Messenger initiative, the Obamas (yes, Michelle too) have been pioneering the presidential presence on other social media platforms, including, most recently, Snapchat.
Every night, the president reads 10 letters from the public, both those sent through the mail and those sent via Facebook, so there’s a chance, however small, that he’ll read your message directly while enjoying his nightly seven(ish) lightly salted almonds.
Try it here.
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