The photograph of Barack Obama embracing his wife Michelle with the words "four more years" has set new records as the most liked and re-tweeted post in social media history.
Obama posted the image at 0416 GMT, effectively claiming victory over Mitt Romney in the US presidential race. Since then it has been re-tweeted nearly 700,000 times. More than 3.23 million people have liked the image on Facebook, with over 400,000 shares; more than 100,000 today were liking it every hour.
The unprecedented viral success of the post confirmed the role that social media played in the US presidential campaign, and abroad. In the past, election night ended when the losing candidate phoned the winner to concede defeat, with news of the "phone call" promptly leaked to news media.
Obama pinged his tweet soon after the television networks had called victory for him in the crucial swing state of Ohio. It was another two hours and 20 minutes before the president appeared in person and gave his formal victory address to ecstatic supporters in Chicago.
Obama`s photo – which shows him hugging his wife, eyes closed, against a cloudy and even stormy backdrop – has set the standard for future presidential victors. The photo appears to embody the president`s core values: trust, manliness, loyalty, love of family, and possibly even divine favour as well.
The post also gave an opportunity for the rest of the world to congratulate Obama personally. Often in their own languages. And, in a few cases, to tell him what a lousy president he is. "Awful. Ignorant," Amanda Zahn, of Illinois, wrote on Obama`s Facebook page. Another poster from the same state added acidly: "There goes the US economy."
BdST 2031 HRS, NOV 10, 2012
Edited by:
Sabbin Hasan, ICT Editor
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