• Many users found themselves automatically following the accounts of President Trump, Vice President JD Vance, and First Lady Melania Trump shortly after the inauguration.
• Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, stated that the transition of followers from one administration to another is standard practice.
• Some users have reported difficulties in unfollowing these accounts, leading to discussions about potential technical glitches.
• Despite user concerns, Meta insists no one is forced to follow these accounts, as they are managed by the White House.
• The uproar reflects ongoing tensions surrounding Meta's policies and political affiliations.

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Following President Donald Trump’s inauguration, numerous users discovered they were automatically following his official accounts on Facebook and Instagram. This unexpected change came alongside an influx of posts on social media expressing confusion and frustration. According to AP News, many users were surprised to see themselves following Trump, Vice President JD Vance, and First Lady Melania Trump, after previously following accounts belonging to the Biden administration.

Meta spokesperson Andy Stone addressed these concerns in a post on Threads, clarifying that “people were not made to automatically follow any of the official Facebook or Instagram accounts.” He explained that these accounts are managed by the White House and naturally transition to the new administration, a protocol maintained since previous presidential transitions, as detailed in a statement reported by HuffPost.

Users have expressed that they were unable to unfollow these accounts, with some claiming to have unfollowed multiple times, only to find themselves following the accounts again. This situation drew skepticism, highlighting what many users perceived as a glitch within Meta’s systems, which Stone acknowledged may take time to process during transitions. “It may take some time for follow and unfollow requests to go through as these accounts change hands,” Stone noted, affirming the procedural nature of these transitions.The Hill also reported that similar user complaints arose during the prior transitions of power.

The emergence of these automatic follows coincided with heightened scrutiny of Meta's practices, especially surrounding recent changes to its operations, including the discontinuation of third-party fact-checking and accusations of political bias favoring Trump. In response, critics have raised concerns regarding a perceived workload error or intentional change within the platform, as noted by a user who questioned why their account had started following Trump without their approval.

As social media continues to play a crucial role in shaping political communication and public opinion, this incident underlines the ongoing complexities surrounding account management during significant political events. Users eager to disengage from these new follows can manually unfollow or block accounts as needed.Reuters, Business Insider, and ABC News provided additional context on the situation and user reactions.