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President Obama Will Kibbitz With YouTube Stars
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?"
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.
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?
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.
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.