There is always a lot of speculation when politicians take to the internet to connect with the younger generations. President Barack Obama’s latest public relations stunt was no exception. Obama appeared on a faux-interview show hosted by comedian Zach Galifianakis called Between Two Ferns to promote the Affordable Care Act.
Young adults make up one of the largest groups of the uninsured in the United States, and to help change that, the ACA accepts adolescents to stay on their parents’ plan until the age of 26. However getting those without access to a plan to pay into one is also vital in order to cover the higher costs of health care for older people and to keep premiums stable.
Between Two Ferns is an Internet comedy series that appears on the video website Funny or Die. The popular series, which has been running since 2008, showsGalifianakis conducting celebrity interviews sitting with his guests between two potted ferns.
The show was heavily criticized by some, especially among older generations, who found it to be disrespectful of the office of the presidency. The judgments were divided along party lines, but Republicans’ negative reactions were stronger than Democrats’ positive ones. Republicans said they condemned the appearance by a 62 percent to a 7 percent margin, while Democrats were more likely to approve than disapprove with a 47 percent to a 13 percent margin.
However, the opinions of the older generation and even the politicians who work alongside Obama are irrelevant with regard to this publicity tactic. He performed brilliantly and did what presidents need to be doing in this day and age, by appearing on a current and edgy popular culture outlet. In a generation when people would rather discuss the events of the Kardashians than the annexation of Crimea, Obama is proving to be exceedingly adaptable. He is dominating the Internet in an attempt to connect to young Americans and promote initiatives for the benefit of the nation.
Obama’s Between Two Ferns visit conquered Facebook and Twitter feeds, causing it to become one of the most successful pitches to young people so far. The video has reached a total of 20 million views and the administration reported that in the first 24 hours after airing it was the biggest source of new visits to the healthcare.gov website, causing web traffic to the site jump 40 percent on the first day it aired.
This is not the first time we have seen the president’s unconventional but successful tactics to engage the younger generation. Last Thursday he did an interview with Ellen DeGeneres joking that her selfie at the Academy Awards ‘was a pretty cheap stunt’ while simultaneously addressing the Obamacare deadline. He also took the opportunity to associate the ACA to his favorite pastime: basketball. In an effort to reach the challenging demographic of young men, Obama announced a “16 Sweetest Reasons to Get Covered” bracket along with his own NCAA tournament bracket. Additionally, LeBron James, the Miami Heat’s star forward, is featured in 30-second ads promoting HealthCare.gov that will be broadcasted during the college basketball games.
The president is certainly backed with the support of the first lady, who has also been busy. Michelle Obama has been promoting physical exercise and tackling childhood obesity with the help of celebrity friends such as Will Ferrell and Beyoncé. The couple has gone where no White House couple has gone before. The collaboration has exploited late-night talk shows, hilarious videos and its famous friends to inform the public about healthcare, childhood obesity and the economy. This is a much more insightful method to gain the attention of the younger generation than an appearance on a Sunday morning show at a time that most of our generation aren’t aware of.
Send your thoughts to Sophie at technician-viewpoint@ncsu.edu.
