text: Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Barack Obama opens up about how he felt after Donald Trump's inauguration 
   
   Former US President Barack Obama has warned against the irresponsible use of social media, in a rare interview since stepping down in January. 
   
   He warned that such actions were distorting people's understanding of complex issues, and spreading misinformation. 
   
   "All of us in leadership have to find ways in which we can recreate a common space on the internet," he said. 
   
   Mr Obama was quizzed by Prince Harry on BBC Radio 4's Today programme. 
   
   Prince Harry, fifth in line to the throne, is one of several prominent figures who are guest-editing the programme over the Christmas period. 
   
   Obama on the extremes of social media 
   
   The former president expressed concern about a future where facts are discarded and people only read and listen to things that reinforce their own views. 
   
   "One of the dangers of the internet is that people can have entirely different realities. They can be cocooned in information that reinforces their current biases. 
   
   "The question has to do with how do we harness this technology in a way that allows a multiplicity of voices, allows a diversity of views, but doesn't lead to a Balkanisation of society and allows ways of finding common ground," he said. 
   
   Mr Obama's successor Donald Trump is a prolific user of Twitter, but Mr Obama did not mention him by name. 
   
   Mr Trump has been accused of overusing Twitter and following only a narrow range of users, though he maintains it allows him to connect directly with the American people. 
   
   Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Boxers or briefs? Prince Harry grills Barack Obama on his likes and dislikes 
   
   Mr Obama suggested face-to-face contact would help counteract extreme views. 
   
   "Social media is a really powerful tool for people of common interests to convene and get to know each other and connect. 
   
   "But then it's important for them to get offline, meet in a pub, meet at a place of worship, meet in a neighbourhood and get to know each other. 
   
   "Because the truth is that on the internet, everything is simplified and when you meet people face-to-face it turns out they're complicated." 
   
   What were the pressures of being president? 
   
   "It's hard, being in the public eye is unpleasant in a lot of ways. It is challenging in a lot of ways. 
   
   "Your loved ones are made vulnerable in ways that might not have been true 20 years ago or 30 years ago. 
   
   "So it is a sacrifice that I think everybody has to be at peace with when they decide to go into politics. But, ultimately, I think the rewards of bringing about positive change in this world make it worthwhile." 
   
   Mr Obama pays tribute to the support of his family, especially his wife Michelle, describing how glad he is that she was "my partner throughout that whole process". 
   
   And leaving office? 
   
   Mixed feelings given "all the work that was still undone". 
   
   "Concerns about how the country moves forward but, you know, overall there was serenity there," he added. 
   
   Mr Obama compared his time in office to being a relay runner. 
   
   Image copyright AFP Image caption "Serenity" on leaving office - Obama's last White House press conference in January 
   
   "If you ran hard, you did your best and you were able to pass that baton successfully and the world was a little better then you had done your job." 
   
   He cites Obamacare - ensuring more people can afford basic healthcare - as a major achievement. 
   
   "What an enormous blessing it is to say that 20 million Americans have health insurance that didn't have it before." 
   
   How does he see the future? 
   
   Without dismissing the problems faced by the world, he remains an optimist. 
   
   "If we take responsibility for being involved in our own fate, if we participate, if we engage, if we speak out, if we work in our communities, if we volunteer, then all the problems that we face are solvable despite all the terrible news that you see. 
   
   "If you had to choose a moment in human history in which you'd want to be born you'd choose today because the fact is that the world is healthier, wealthier, better educated and more tolerant, more sophisticated and less violent." 
   
   What does Prince Harry have to say? 
   
   As well as editing, Prince Harry was himself interviewed on Today. 
   
   "I haven't done that many interviews but it was quite fun, especially interviewing President Obama despite the fact he wanted to interview me. 
   
   "It's been a big learning curve but also these are incredibly important topics we all need to think about and need to be discussed." 
   
   The prince's programme focused on issues such as the armed forces, mental health, youth crime and climate change. ||||| Prince Harry definitely knows how to handle a difficult question. 
   
   The prince bagged former U.S. President Barack Obama's first interview since leaving office, during his stint as guest editor of BBC Radio 4's Today programme on Wednesday. 
   
   The two definitely had the banter, and you can tell that they're close. 
   
   SEE ALSO: Barack Obama and Prince Harry want activists to get off their hashtags and into the real world 
   
   But presenters from the Today programme interviewed the prince after the Obama session. And the hosts asked him directly what everyone wanted to know: Would Obama get an invite to Prince Harry's wedding to American actress Meghan Markle in May? 
   
   "Well, I don't know about that. We haven't put the invites or the guestlist together yet so who knows whether he's going to be invited or not. Wouldn't want to ruin that surprise," Prince Harry said. 
   
   The question is especially on everyone's mind as The Sun reported, citing a "senior government source," that the government doesn't want Prince Harry to invite Obama to his wedding as it would risk the former president coming to a royal wedding before President Donald Trump has a chance to meet the Queen. 
   
   Prime Minister Theresa May has invited Trump for an official state visit, which would include meeting the Queen, but the visit hasn't been scheduled amid fears that it would be met with mass protests. 
   
   Prince Harry's entire interview with Obama is well worth a listen. We all need something to kill the time while we're waiting for our wedding invites, right? ||||| FILE - In this Friday, Sept. 29, 2017 file photo, former U.S. President Barack Obama, center left, and Britain's Prince Harry watch wheelchair basketball at the Invictus Games in Toronto. Former President... (Associated Press) 
   
   FILE - In this Friday, Sept. 29, 2017 file photo, former U.S. President Barack Obama, center left, and Britain's Prince Harry watch wheelchair basketball at the Invictus Games in Toronto. Former President Barack Obama told Prince Harry in an interview broadcast Wednesday, Dec. 27, 2017 that he felt... (Associated Press) 
   
   LONDON (AP) — Former President Barack Obama told Prince Harry in an interview broadcast Wednesday that he felt serene the day he left the White House despite the sense that much important work remained unfinished. 
   
   Obama said it was "hugely liberating" to be able to set his own agenda in the morning and to have the time to talk with his wife, Michelle, now that he is no longer president. 
   
   He spoke with Harry in the prince's capacity as guest editor of the BBC Radio 4 news program. Both men said the interview, recorded in Canada in September, was Obama's first since leaving the presidency in January. 
   
   "I miss the work itself because it was fascinating," Obama said of his eight years in the Oval Office, citing his health care reforms as one of his proudest achievements. 
   
   He did not mention his successor, President Donald Trump, but did say people in government should be careful in their use of social media. 
   
   In his guest editing slot, Harry also focused on climate change, the military and mental health. 
   
   He used his position to ask Obama a "lightning round" of questions of the type normally asked of entertainers, not politicians. 
   
   The former president declined to say whether he wears boxers or briefs, but was willing to say he prefers Aretha Franklin to Tina Turner — "Aretha is the best," he said of the Queen of Soul — and favors retired basketball star Michael Jordan over current star LeBron James. 
   
   Obama also said he is "obsessed" with helping to train the next generation of leaders and said the world is in many ways healthier and wealthier than it has ever been. 
   
   Harry also interviewed his father, Prince Charles, who offered more gloomy assessment. He said the root causes of climate change are not being addressed even as it leads to more destruction in many parts of the world. 
   
   At the end of the show, Harry would not say whether Obama will be invited to his May wedding to American actress Meghan Markle, saying the guest list hadn't been drawn up yet. But he did say Markle had enjoyed her first Christmas as a guest of Queen Elizabeth II at her country estate. 
   
   "She really enjoyed it, and the family loved having her there," Harry said.
target: – Former President Obama told Prince Harry in a BBC interview broadcast Wednesday that despite the sense that much important work remained unfinished on the day he left the White House, "there was a serenity there, more than I would have expected." Obama said it's "hugely liberating" to be able to set his own agenda in the morning and have time to talk with his wife, Michelle, in his post-presidency. He spoke with Harry in the prince's capacity as guest editor of the BBC Radio 4 news program, reports the AP. The interview, recorded in Canada in September, was Obama's first since leaving the Oval Office in January. "I miss the work itself because it was fascinating," Obama said of his eight years, citing health care reform as one of his proudest achievements. He did not mention his successor, but did say government officials should be careful in using social media. Harry also focused on climate change, the military, mental health, and asked Obama a "lightning round" of questions. The former president declined to say whether he wears boxers or briefs, but prefers Aretha Franklin to Tina Turner—"Aretha is the best"—and favors basketball star Michael Jordan over LeBron James. Obama also said he is "obsessed" with helping to train the next generation of leaders. As for the elephant in the room—whether Harry will invite Obama to his May wedding to Meghan Markle—Mashable notes that the prince deferred, saying, "Well, I don't know about that. We haven't put the invites or the guest list together yet, so who knows whether he's going to be invited or not. Wouldn't want to ruin that surprise." He did say Markle enjoyed her first Christmas as a guest of Queen Elizabeth II. "She really enjoyed it, and the family loved having her there."