NEW YORK: Some Meta social media customers mentioned on Wednesday (Jan 22) that their accounts re-followed the profiles of President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance and first girl Melania Trump after they’d unfollowed these accounts as soon as Trump took workplace for his second time period.
When a presidential administration modifications, the official White Home social media accounts roll over to the brand new elected officers. That occurred in 2017 and 2021, when Trump succeeded Barack Obama as president, after which when Joe Biden succeeded Trump.
Nevertheless, some customers mentioned that even after unfollowing the president, vp and first girl accounts since Monday, they discovered they had been quickly following these accounts once more, in some instances after unfollowing greater than as soon as or blocking the accounts.
“I, like others, repeatedly unfollowed Trump and Vance on Monday, solely to find that I used to be following them once more,” mentioned Fb person Anna Springer on Threads, which can also be owned by Meta.
“Undecided if it was only a glitch or one thing intentional, nevertheless it positively occurred.”
Meta didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark. However Meta communications director Andy Stone mentioned on X that individuals who had been following the Biden administration’s official accounts rolled over to the identical official accounts underneath the Trump administration.
“Individuals weren’t made to mechanically comply with any of the official Fb or Instagram accounts for the President, Vice President or First Girl,” Stone mentioned on X.
“These accounts are managed by the White Home so with a brand new administration, the content material on these pages modifications.”
“It could take a while for comply with and unfollow requests to undergo as these accounts change palms,” Stone mentioned on Threads.
The White Home didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark.
American singer Demi Lovato posted a photograph to her Instagram story of her following the vp.
“I’ve unfollowed this man twice right now,” she wrote to her 150 million followers.
Others reported they had been additionally following first girl Melania Trump with out selecting to take action.
“Why did my Fb mechanically begin following Melania Trump this (morning)? What are you doing?” actor and comic Sarah Colonna mentioned on Threads on Tuesday, tagging Mark Zuckerberg, Meta’s CEO, in her put up.
Social media customers comply with different customers to see their posts, often by clicking a single button. The extra followers an account has, the broader the viewers that sees their messages.
