Obama Joins Instagram

President Obama is almost a hipster. Almost.

On Tuesday, the Obama campaign joined Instagram -- the free, insanely popular photo-sharing application that allows users to take photos, add special effects and share the images on social networking platforms with the click of a button.

Instagram's special-effect "filters," which let users transform a plain photo into a faux-vintage image, along with its ease of use, have made the app a preferred photo-sharing service of hipsters across the country. Once stylized, photos can be instantly posted to users' Facebook, Tumblr, Foursquare and Twitter accounts. According to Instagram, the app has over 50 million users. Currently, Instagram is only available for iPhones, however in December the company announced that an Android version is in the works.

During the Iowa caucuses, Obama's account posted two photos of the president speaking via videoconference to Iowans. The Obama campaign is now asking the public to submit photos from the campaign trail to Twitter using the hashtag #Obama2012.

In the short time the Instagram account has been live, it has been followed by over 7,000 people. Obama is not following anyone.

Instagram announced the news in a post on their website:

We're excited to welcome President Barack Obama to Instagram! We look forward to seeing how President Obama uses Instagram to give folks a visual sense of what happens in the everyday life of the President of the United States.

The blog post also notes that political coverage has risen on Instagram, as reporters armed with iPhones are tweeting from the campaign trail.

Instagram was named Apple's iPhone app of the year in 2011 for its ability to "help make anyone's shots look like they were done by someone who knows what they're doing."

Comments

[pult du]

06:00 PM on 01/04/2012

Get out of our networking...

[Milton Carl Jackson II]

04:51 PM on 01/04/2012

Seriously, you detractors can go jump in a lake. If you don't know that President Obama's campaign staffers and aides are handling all of these social media accounts and NOT the President himself, seeing that he was many more important things to do like RUNNING THE COUNTRY and not choosing the best filter for an Instagram picture, and if you do know this but still use this ridiculous aside to take a ridiculous jab at the President, you all need to try again. I hear there's a caucus or primary coming your way, so you may want to pay attention to that while deciding if that alternative is better than the agenda President Obama has put forward the last three years with some errors or missteps from the administration yet with absolutely no help from conservatives and the mainstream media (not focusing on the important issues at hand, but rather the sensationalistic stories that accompany them). Methinks not...

[alldone08]

06:16 PM on 01/04/2012

i love it when people use bush to justify obamas failures. i was to young to vote against bush, but don't worry when obama is fired and writing a book next year i will be able to say that i witnessed my generations own doofus in office.

politics have always been this volatile, republicans and democrats will always play partisan games. obama just isnt a leader, hes the affirmative action guilt trip everyone fell for. a junior senator rock-star running the USA? are you kidding me?

[Shirley Ogburn]

04:11 PM on 01/04/2012

Never have I seen such a bunch of jealous trolls in my life. You righties are so transparent, itsn't even funny! All presidents do something or another during there term. Yall just can't stand it because he is better than the last dummy. Get a life or talk comment about something substantial.

Obama 2012!

[NotRetired]

09:50 PM on 01/04/2012

Perhaps we talk about the military spending bill that he just signed that eliminates due process to anyone suspected of being a "terrorist" - citizen or not. Now, clarify what you mean "better." Sounds like politics as usual to me.

[deeznutz76]

04:01 PM on 01/04/2012

I heard Instagram has a new effect that will make you look like a good leader in your photos.
Yeah, he is all over that one. Hipster Dooofus.

[swimmer1957]

03:23 PM on 01/04/2012

Is this how weiner got started

[abigtuna]

02:25 PM on 01/04/2012

I wonder how much stock Obama owns in Instascam?

[smburwick]

01:16 PM on 01/04/2012

This guy loves attention! Narcissist. Must have had withdrawal in Hawaii.

[4Hilrbrt]

02:06 PM on 01/04/2012

The guy withdrew to the Marine golf course....but hid from the press....banned from pictures unless they were of him going to church. Marines I know based there tell me he takes forever to play and ties up the course for 7 hours...they had to play at the Army course....so far the Golfer In Chief has played 7 times, according to them.

[treasuredtrophie]

03:16 PM on 01/04/2012

In the Wash DC golf season closes 2 courses at Andrews AFB for OB However he doesn't want to cause a seen at a Church. Joker Joker Home but not working on budget been 1000 days nope out in Ohio Campaigning.

[treasuredtrophie]

03:18 PM on 01/04/2012

.

[rbdacc]

12:53 PM on 01/04/2012

I think we need less concentration on Face Book, Twitter and now, special-effect "filters," by this president and more concentration on real time issues. When he's out of office and making his millions with book deals along with the rest of the 1%ers - let him play around with those toys on his own time and dime. We don't need to see elaborate pictures of a president on a campaign, we need to see him working at the job we hired him to do.

[hbssl]

12:42 PM on 01/04/2012

You had better forget about all that jazz and get with being president. I want to support you but you don't do anything. I have not heard anything about you or your ideas or things you are trying to get done. Sir, have you givin up? I say this with no disrespect but it looks like you, mama and the girls are seeing the world on the taxpayers dime before the people elect someone else. When you can't go the rest of the family can. The country needs you. We are behind you if you would only show a glimmer of hope. Do not let us down. Or get out of the way

[dan101t]

12:27 PM on 01/04/2012

So obama texts, tweets, twitters, now he is sending out pictures of himself.
Kinda reminds you of places like North Korea with pictures of whats-him-name plastered everywhere.

[treasuredtrophie]

03:25 PM on 01/04/2012

Do we have to bow when we see is picture.

[dan101t]

04:01 PM on 01/04/2012

Not yet, but has to power to lock you up for no reason.

[treasuredtrophie]

12:18 PM on 01/04/2012

Some Leader we have here. All campaign no leadership.

[cathy123456]

12:12 PM on 01/04/2012

Oh great! Now we have to see constant photos. Hearing his campaigning for 3 1/2 years has been more than one can take. Get busy Mr. President and come up with some long term ideas of how to get this economy going and people back to work. We need something that will last longer than your term or terms. All you really care about is if you look good, not what is good for the country and creating a reliance on big government. The stimulus package you presented to congress will only work until the construction is completed. Then what? We will be back to square one, more unemployment and less jobs. But at least it will get you through your next term, just in time to hand a mess to the next president, but good enough for everyone to think you have done a good job. With each President forward we will need a short term stimulus which will increase our deficit even more, lower our rating even further and become a bigger government, just like you ordered.

[lenny7418]

11:46 AM on 01/04/2012

Maybe you would like bush back so he can start more wars.

[treasuredtrophie]

12:19 PM on 01/04/2012

Have you slept save in your bed thank Bush

[abigtuna]

02:24 PM on 01/04/2012

check the stats I think Obama is the king of war.

[aphunkyphish]

11:43 AM on 01/04/2012

Thank you Huff Post for bringing us another great Obama accomplishment!

[eds123]

11:58 AM on 01/04/2012

Thank you trolls for setting our resolve to vote every republican we can out of office in November.

[m2modon]

12:21 PM on 01/04/2012

Thank you sheep for continuing to prove that you're no smarter now than you were 3 years ago.

[aphunkyphish]

01:11 PM on 01/04/2012

You are resolved to get rid of all Republicans?, next you'll resolve getting rid of all the Democrats too and then you'll have your dictator.

[Jakpot]

11:41 AM on 01/04/2012

Who cares???