Obama selfie alive and well: US Vice President Joe Biden joins Instagram with limo shot

We all thought it had truly died a death when Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond chucked this monstrosity into the Twittersphere.

But it appears the political selfie is alive and well across the pond, where US Vice President Joe Biden has launched his very own Instagram account with a super close-up shot of him and President Obama in the back of a limousine.

“Found a friend to join my first selfie on Instagram. Thanks for following and stay tuned. -VP,” he captioned the image, notably eschewing comedic hashtags.

According to the White House, Biden’s latest foray into the social media world is part of an effort to “give followers a unique look inside the Vice Presidency” and “connect with citizens online”.

He has, of course, been an active tweeter for some time.

Meanwhile, Obama can’t seem to steer clear of selfie-related controversies. Back in December, he was criticised for posing for an inappropriate vanity shot with David Cameron and Danish Prime Minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt during a memorial service for the late Nelson Mandela.

The White House also recently complained about a photograph of the President with Red Sox player David Ortiz, after it was used in an advert without its permission.

The White House warned that it was considering banning Obama from selfies altogether.

However, as you can see from the shot above, any such ban doesn't seem to have been enforced.