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President Obama Will Kibbitz With YouTube Stars

Posted by timothy on from the actual-state-of-the-union dept.

theodp (442580) writes "For better or worse, YouTube stars are a big deal these days. Last December, Microsoft and Code.org turned to YouTube Stars iJustine and The Fine Brothers to help recruit the nation's K-12 schookids for the Hour of Code. And next week, in what the White House is touting as the State of the YOUnion , President Obama will turn to a trio of YouTube Stars for advice on the issues of day following his State of the Union Address. "We're inviting a handful of YouTube creators to the White House to talk with the President in person," explains the White House Blog, "and you can watch it all live on Thursday, January 22. YouTube creators Bethany Mota, GloZell, and Hank Green will interview President Obama about the issues care they most about and what they're hearing from their audiences." Commenting on the choice of the YouTube interviewers, CNN's David Acosta asked (confused) WH Press Secretary Josh Earnest, "I'm just curious, was 'Charlie Bit My Finger' or 'David After Dentist' not available?" So, how long until the U.S. is redistricted into YouTube Channels?"

17 of 105 comments (clear)

  1. Thank you, President Obama! by PapayaSF · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Thank you for having dealt with all the other more pressing problems, domestic and foreign, so that now you have extra time for these folks! I'm sure they'll have lots of informed, trenchant, challenging questions for you, the answers to which will be informative and enlightening. It'll be the adversarial press speaking truth to power!

    --
    Q: What does the "B." in Benoit B. Mandelbrot stand for? A: Benoit B. Mandelbrot
    1. Re:Thank you, President Obama! by Darinbob · · Score: 4, Informative

      He's golfed a lot less than most recent presidents, he has catching up to do.

      But what sorts of morons honestly think the president either has to stay in the white house all the time, or who think that the president when not in DC does not actually do any work?

    2. Re:Thank you, President Obama! by Darinbob · · Score: 2

      Which is worse, meeting with unknown D list celebrities, versus meeting with Halliburton execs?

    3. Re: Thank you, President Obama! by TWX · · Score: 4, Interesting

      President Obama already did meet with Youtubers once; Hannah Hart, who came to prominence for My Drunk Kitchen and later started producing videos on the challenges of being homosexual was among them.

      I get Hank Green to an extent, he's a little goofy, but his videos seem to be more in the manner of Bill Nye crossed with Andy Rooney, plus his status has been elevated through his collaborations with his brother, but I'm not sure about the other two. I hadn't heard of them before, and when I pulled up their channels from the article summary I was greeted with opening presentations that didn't really make me want to watch their videos. There may be something deeper about what they do, but it wasn't instantly obvious to me as a new viewer.

      It should be interesting, to see what the topics of the conversation actually are. Youtube today seems to have replaced what livejournal and blogger and other web log sites did fifteen years ago, so perhaps this is an attempt to engage the upcoming generation on their own terms, but by letting that generation bring their media to prominence rather than attempting to co-opt their media and failing at it badly.

      --
      Do not look into laser with remaining eye.
    4. Re:Thank you, President Obama! by LynnwoodRooster · · Score: 3, Informative

      President Obama is closing in on his 200th round. That's more than President George W. Bush (24). He's well behind Clinton (400+ by his own admission), but behind all other Presidents going back to Eisenhower.

      --
      Browsing at +1 - no ACs, I ignore their posts. So refreshing!
    5. Re:Thank you, President Obama! by dfenstrate · · Score: 3, Insightful

      He's golfed a lot less than most recent presidents, he has catching up to do.

      Bush stopped golfing shortly after 9/11, because he didn't want to appear... well, as Obama does now. Perhaps you mean Clinton?

      --
      Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms should be the name of a store, not a government agency.
    6. Re:Thank you, President Obama! by operagost · · Score: 2

      The State of the Union address would be far more entertaining if Grumpy Cat provided the post-speech response.

      --

      Gamingmuseum.com: Give your 3D accelerator a rest.
  2. Re:Woah...There are YouTube stars? by dreamchaser · · Score: 2

    Only in their own minds, really. The only ones who are really 'stars' are the ones that land gigs other than YouTube using the latter as a springboard.

    Eww...that makes Bieber a YOUTUBE STAR!!!

  3. State of the YOUnion by AnotherBrian · · Score: 3, Funny

    Wow, I really want to slap the person who came up with that State of the YOUnion buzzword.

  4. Not going after you by Enry · · Score: 5, Insightful

    If you don't know who those people are (and I'll admit I don't) then this isn't for you. It's about getting younger people involved and voting. Older people already vote more regularly, with people in their teens and 20s not voting with much regularity (see 2014). If Obama can reach those voters and get them interested in the process, then he's laying a base for Democrats going forward.

    As for the 'all other problems being solved' nonsense, take a look at the schedule for Congress over the past few years and see what tough issues they spent their time working on.

    1. Re:Not going after you by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

      You actually want Youtubers to vote? Have you ever read the comments there? There's no stronger argument against Democracy than a five minutes talk with a Youtuber.

  5. Obama by 0123456 · · Score: 2

    He does know he's not campaigning for re-election, right?

  6. Really? by LordHugeMongus · · Score: 2

    "about the issues care they most about and what they're hearing"

    care they most??
    really??
    It's not just the summary, that's on whitehouse.gov...
    I am so ashamed to be a citizen of the U.S. right now.

  7. Re:Woah...There are YouTube stars? by TWX · · Score: 2

    I expect that many of them make as much money doing Youtube videos as many local TV newscasters, reporters, and Radio DJs do, if they've been smart about how they do things. They certainly could do a lot worse for themselves.

    It's pretty clear that old-media isn't quite sure what to make of new-media. Jerry Seinfeld's show Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee exemplified this by bringing Miranda Sings on as one of the comedians- it was one of the few that I simply couldn't watch and ended up turning off. I did not find her in-character schtick to be funny, and it seemed like quite a step down compared to Carl Reiner and Jay Leno.

    --
    Do not look into laser with remaining eye.
  8. Hank Green is a good choice by Rob+Bos · · Score: 5, Informative

    I've never seen the other two, but Hank Green, and his brother John, are two people who've earned much respect in my view, for their charity work, for their educational series "Crash Course", and for the work they've done supporting other youtube science channels, like Emily Graslie and Animal Wonders.

  9. Bread and circuses by X.25 · · Score: 3, Informative

    Always works well.

  10. What the fuck is a Kibbitz? by rebelwarlock · · Score: 2

    At least explain your nonsense if you're going to say it in public.