WASHINGTON, D.C. – A recent feature on Michelle Obama’s embrace of technology is offering interesting insight into how she thinks the government and corporations should manipulate youngsters.

In a “360 video” interview and photo shoot with the first lady, The Verge explored how Michelle Obama has used social media to stay “cool” through platforms geared mostly to people less than half her age.

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“Nowadays, this generation, they’re not watching nightly news, they’re not reading the newspaper, they’re not watching the Sunday morning shows. They’re on their phones,” Michelle Obama explained.

“So we had to start thinking of creative and fun ways to connect with those folks. Because what we understood is that this generation, they’re looking for authenticity,” she said. “They are looking for what feels real and natural so I knew my issues had to be real and natural to me if I was going to be in any way compelling to the audiences we were trying to reach.”

The feature points to the first lady’s embrace of social media sites geared toward younger users, and how she carefully staged posts for her Lets Move! childhood obesity program for maximum effect.

“In so much of what Michelle does online she seems authentic and natural … it feels like she is having fun,” according to the narrator. “But behind the scenes, a lot of work goes into what she says and what platform she uses to say it.”

Obama’s communications director explained how the first lady’s team builds a strategy for four separate campaigns she’s working to sell to America’s youth, and pointed to a carefully crafted Vine post about a turnip that went viral as a successful campaign to promote nutrition.

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It’s proof the first lady knows what’s cool.

“I’ve got two Gen Zers living under my roof,” Obama said, according to Elite Daily. “They don’t think we’re cool at all. But I know what they’re watching on Vine, and I know what they’re giggling about.”

But the first lady also spoke about online harassment, particularly of minorities and sexually abnormal kids, and said she thinks it’s the role of social media companies to dictate to youngsters what’s “cool.”

“These platforms, not only can you bypass the middle man, but with young people you can bypass the parent. My kid’s first connection to social media happened without me involved because they can get their phones and tap into this stuff, and they’re using it before you even know,” she said.

Obama said the situation presents an opportunity for tech companies to control how young people view certain issues, presumably issues important to the government.

“One of the things I hope the social media platforms, all you guys can get together and help teach these kids all the many positive ways that they can use these platforms, because there are so many,” the first lady said at about the 8:30 mark in the video. “Make those positive uses trendier. They will do what’s cool, you guys just have to make the right thing cool.”

Obama told The Verge that’s how the current administration works to gain public approval for its policies.

“Young people expect and want something different from their leadership,” she said. “Social media gives us the tools to stay connected and … be flexible and reach people where they need to be reached so that they get the messages and understand the policies that we are desperately trying to implement.