Obama’s Digital Double Down: Will His Pivot Away From Old Media Pay Off?

BuzzFeed, YouTube, InstaMeets -- recently, the politician who leapfrogged into the Oval Office seven years ago by capturing the mainstream media’s adoration has all but abandoned it in favor of dancing to the digital drum. Unburdened by having to win another election, President Barack Obama delivered a fiercely progressive State of the Union address in January, and instead of the traditional Steve Kroft “60 Minutes” follow-up interview or face time on the broadcast networks, the President spoke to YouTube stars with green lips and gracious grins. The President decided not only to pivot to digital media, but to have some fun doing it. And some of his interviews have run afoul of presidential precedent. The Presidential shenanigans worked and the video drew 50 million views on Facebook.

“I’m not some old-media curmudgeon saying Obama shouldn’t go on ‘Ellen,’ or ‘The View’ or Colbert; he’s got a good sense of humor -- that’s a political asset,” host of Fox News’ “#MediaBuzz” Howard Kurtz said. “But it just seemed beneath the dignity of the office to be hanging out with some of these YouTubers.” But, as Tubefilter founder Joshua Cohen said, Obama’s going where the people he’s trying to reach hang out.