confused<\/a> as to why they were suddenly following President Trump on Facebook and Instagram when they hadn\u2019t explicitly requested to do so. At the time, Meta explained this was part of a regular process in which White House social media accounts, including their followers, are handed over to the new administration when a new President takes office.<\/p>\nUsha Vance’s New Account<\/h2>\n
Usha Vance is obtaining the former Second Gentleman\u2019s Instagram followers now because the White House only recently created her @SLOTUS account, according to Meta. The first post on the Second Lady\u2019s Instagram account is dated March 10th, and Meta says she does not have an official Facebook account at this time.<\/p>\n
Important Notice for Users<\/h2>\n
Be aware that if you try to unfollow @SLOTUS on Instagram, your request may not immediately go through.<\/p>\n
Processing Requests<\/h2>\n
Meta says it may \u201ctake some time\u201d to process follow and unfollow requests around the @SLOTUS account during this transition. It seems likely that users flood Meta with a barrage of follow and unfollow requests in these account transitions, which slows things down.<\/p>\n
Meta’s Policy on Auto-Following<\/h2>\n
Meta insists it never forces users to \u201cauto-follow\u201d accounts without a user\u2019s consent. In this case, Meta says the White House itself controls these official accounts, and it\u2019s simply assisting them in the Presidential transition.<\/p>\n
Avoiding Confusion<\/h2>\n
While these White House social media accounts change hands every four years, they tend to create widespread confusion every time. Many users forget they ever followed an official White House account in the first place, especially if they had done so four years ago when the previous administration took office.<\/p>\n
Transparency in Following<\/h2>\n
However, it becomes much more evident which White House accounts you\u2019re following when the new administration, which may not be the party you voted for, takes over.<\/p>\n