Furthermore, American citizens have options regarding ‘presidential alerts.’ U.S. law mandates that Americans can choose to opt out of alerts about natural disasters and missing children.
The inception of ‘presidential alerts’ began in 2012.
Reactions to the First ‘Presidential Alert’
Reactions to the first ‘presidential alert’ varied. Many Americans screenshotted the alerts and posted the images on social media. Some captions contained emojis; others expressed either support, distaste, or other feelings regarding the president. Certain individuals even questioned the necessity of FEMA’s nationwide alert.
Social media users also posted edited versions of the ‘presidential alert’ on various sites. Purposefully edited screenshots of FEMA’s alert occurred mainly for comedic relief. However, some Twitter users expressed the desire to opt out of receiving these type of notifications.
Finally, readers of Fox News shared their thoughts regarding today’s first ‘presidential alert:’
“I looked it up, you cannot opt out of presidential alerts. If you turn your phone off, you will get it when you turn it back on, providing your phone/network is capable.”
