Fifty years ago, if someone’s necktie were askew, the neighborhood considered the possibility the man was a serial killer, but in 2015, a neck tattoo and a pink beard means that guy runs a hot new startup. American presidents have often pursued a “regular guy” image to better pander to their constituency, and since neon facial hair is out, sitting down with a comedian or fielding questions from anonymous Internet savages isn’t considered beyond the pale – it’s business as usual for @POTUS.
Here are a few things Obama does that past presidents would have been ill-advised to participate in:
Between Two Ferns with Zach Galifianakis
In March 2014, Obama sat down with comedian and actor Zach Galifianakis to produce a comedy sketch for the Web show Between Two Ferns. The president showcased his poker face and his acting chops as Galifianakis shot him passive-aggressive insults. The old fear of joining such a production was that the president would damage his image, but Obama came across as likeable and entertaining. Even the staunchest of Republicans forgot their hatred for this six minutes.
Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, LinkedIn and the Web
Just got this new blue marble photo from @NASA. A beautiful reminder that we need to protect the only planet we have. pic.twitter.com/JQ3174P0LF — President Obama (@POTUS) July 20, 2015
Spotify
Earlier this month, the president released two Spotify playlists for the summer season, one for day and one for night. Artists like the Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, Justin Timberlake, the Temptations, Stevie Wonder, Frank Sinatra and Mos Def are represented.
WTF with Marc Maron
Comedian Marc Maron’s shtick is that of a man narcissistically obsessed with his own neuroses. His commitment to self-perpetuated pain has made his WTF podcast one of the most popular online, yielding him about $15,000 per episode, according to a 2014 celebritynetworth.com assessment. Maron does the podcast from his home garage, and the president sat down with him for an hour on June 22 to jaw about current events and slip in a few grinds of the ax under the guise of freeform dialog.
Reddit Surprise AMA (Ask Me Anything)
In 2013, the president held a surprise 30-minute question-and-answer session on social news website Reddit as part of his second-term campaign. More than 22,000 users asked the president questions, and he answered questions about things like the White House beer recipe, Afghanistan, Michael Jordan being his favorite basketball player, and Internet freedom.