Digital diplomacy

Last updated
Coordinator of Bureau of International Information Programs Macon Phillips (left), responds to a question during a panel discussion -- Digital Diplomacy: Making Foreign Policy Less Foreign -- with Assistant Secretary of State for Public Affairs Doug Frantz (center), and Assistant Secretary for Education and Cultural Affairs Evan Ryan, who joined via digital video conference, on February 18, 2014. Moderated by Emily Parker, author of Now I Know Who My Comrades Are: Voices From the Internet Underground and digital diplomacy advisor and senior fellow at the New America Foundation, the panel discussion is part of Social Media Week New York City. IIP Coordinator Phillips Responds to a Question (12621374484).jpg
Coordinator of Bureau of International Information Programs Macon Phillips (left), responds to a question during a panel discussion -- Digital Diplomacy: Making Foreign Policy Less Foreign -- with Assistant Secretary of State for Public Affairs Doug Frantz (center), and Assistant Secretary for Education and Cultural Affairs Evan Ryan, who joined via digital video conference, on February 18, 2014. Moderated by Emily Parker, author of Now I Know Who My Comrades Are: Voices From the Internet Underground and digital diplomacy advisor and senior fellow at the New America Foundation, the panel discussion is part of Social Media Week New York City.

Digital diplomacy, also referred to as Digiplomacy and eDiplomacy (see below), has been defined as the use of the Internet and new information communication technologies to help achieve diplomatic objectives. [1] However, other definitions have also been proposed. [2] [3] [4] The definition focuses on the interplay between internet and diplomacy, ranging from Internet driven-changes in the environment in which diplomacy is conducted to the emergence of new topics on diplomatic agendas such as cybersecurity, privacy and more, along with the use of internet tools to practice diplomacy. [5]

Contents

Platform-specific terms that have also evolved in this diplomacy category include Facebook diplomacy, Twitter diplomacy, [6] [7] and Google diplomacy. [8]

Overview

The UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office defines digital diplomacy as 'solving foreign policy problems using the internet', [9] a narrower definition that excludes internal electronic collaboration tools and mobile phone and tablet-based diplomacy. The US State Department uses the term 21st Century Statecraft [10] The Canadian Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development [11] calls it Open Policy. [12]

Digital diplomacy can be practiced by state agencies such as Foreign Ministries, embassies and consulates, individual diplomats such as ambassadors or ambassadors-at-large, and non-state actors such as civil society and human rights groups. [13]

History

The first foreign ministry to establish a dedicated ediplomacy unit was the US State Department, which created the Taskforce on eDiplomacy in 2002. This Taskforce has since been renamed the Office of eDiplomacy and has approximately 80 staff members, about half of which are dedicated to ediplomacy-related work. In April 2022 the US State Department set up a new Bureau of Cyberspace and Digital Policy (CDP). Although there is no generally accepted definition, "in this report, we consider 'cyber diplomacy' to be efforts that support U.S. interests in cyberspace internationally, led by the Department of State." [14] Indeed, the new CDP bureau brings together the many disparate initiatives set up under the Obama Administration under the hyphenated term United States cyber-diplomacy encompassing Hillary Clinton's 21st century statecraft.

Other foreign ministries have also begun to embrace ediplomacy. The UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office has an Office of Digital Diplomacy [15] that is involved in a range of ediplomacy activities. [1] Sweden has also been active in promotion of digital diplomacy, especially through the online communication strategy of its foreign minister Carl Bildt who soon became 'best connected Twitter leader'. [16]

In July 2012, global public relations and communications firm Burson-Marsteller studied the use of Twitter by heads of state and government, referred to as Twitter diplomacy. The study on Twiplomacy [17] found that there were 264 Twitter accounts of heads of state and government and their institutions in 125 countries worldwide and that only 30 leader's tweet personally. Since then, the attention on digital diplomacy as a tool of public diplomacy has only increased. In 2013, USC Center on Public Diplomacy has named 'Facebook recognizing Kosovo as a country', [18] as one of the top moments in public diplomacy for 2013. [19] [20] [21] [22]

In 2014, the Swedish Ministry of Foreign Affairs hosted the Stockholm Initiative for Digital Diplomacy conference. The initiative evolved into informal online campaigns under the umbrella #DiplomacyUnited, coordinating the work of a dozen embassies in Washington, D.C. [23]

According to the Twiplomacy Study 2020, published in July 2020, 98 percent of UN member states had a diplomatic presence on Twitter. [24] Only Laos, North Korea, Sao Tome and Principe and Turkmenistan lacked representation on the social network. [24]

Facebook diplomacy

Facebook diplomacy is a user created hybrid of public diplomacy and citizen diplomacy as applied in the Facebook social networking platform. After some earlier informal use the term Facebook diplomacy was described at a New York conference on social networking and technology in December 2008.

During the December conference in New York, the United States Undersecretary of Public Diplomacy, James Glassman said, "New technology gives the United States and other free nations a significant advantage over terrorists." In his presentation at New York's Columbia University Law School, he went on to illustrate how Facebook diplomacy and on-line activism created success through the use of Facebook groups and the use of the platform to create activism and cause global awareness relative to issues in Colombia against the infamous FARC rebels. [25]

Facebook ambassador may refer to Facebook Garage Ambassadors who are dedicated to the technical aspect of Facebook development. Research 'Facebook Developer Garage' and 'Garage-In-A-Box'. [26]

Opportunities in digital diplomacy

The rise of social media as a tool in diplomacy has given way for states to strike up two-way or “dialogic" communication with other diplomatic actors and their foreign publics, compared to the one-way nature of traditional public diplomacy. [27] While traditional diplomacy occurs offline in relative privacy, online diplomacy has allowed a multitude of actors to discuss foreign policy-making, increasing the impact of public opinion on the foreign policy agenda. [27]

This method of diplomacy provides additional avenues for other actors to engage in co-creation with influential people and organizations on multilateral diplomatic campaigns. [28] An example of this would be the 2012-2014 Campaign to End Sexual Violence in Conflict launched by then British foreign secretary William Hague, which used a multi-channel digital and offline approach to engage UN organizations as well as states. [28] A video featuring co-created content by Angelina Jolie, a UN Special Envoy, supporting the campaign managed to attract 15,000 views, compared to the foreign secretary’s similar video, which only attracted 400 views. [28]

This ability for states to listen to their audiences' perceptions of their foreign policy is considered another potential benefit of digital diplomacy. [29] [30] It can provide a new means for states who have severed formal diplomatic ties to collect information about each other’s foreign policy positions. [29] For example, despite the states' strained diplomatic relationship, the U.S. State Department follows the Iranian president on Twitter. [29]

Access to social media as a diplomatic channel has also changed the relative influence of diplomatic actors from states thought to possess little hard power – or power achieved through material resources strength – amongst other diplomatic actors. [29] [31] A study done by Ilan Manor and Elad Segev in 2020 measured the social media mobility of ministries of foreign affairs and UN missions to New York, finding that states with less hard power could use social media to become “supernodes” in online diplomatic networks. [29] This is also referred to this as the “theory of networked diplomacy”. [29]

Challenges in digital diplomacy

Though states have managed to achieve diplomatic prominence online through their use of Twitter and other online channels, these new diplomatic channels do not come without risks. Messages and images shared on social media platforms, particularly Twitter, have already given rise to diplomatic crises.

In 2018, Global Affairs Canada tweeted a statement calling on Saudi Arabia to release imprisoned human rights activists. In response, Saudi Arabia cut diplomatic and trade ties with Canada, declaring the country’s ambassador persona non grata and recalling Saudi Arabia's ambassador to Canada. [31]

The incident escalated when a pro-government Twitter account later tweeted an image of an Air Canada plane flying in the direction of Toronto’s CN Tower, with the text, “He who interferes with what doesn’t concern him finds what doesn’t please him.” The image incited criticism from many on social media due to perceived parallels between the image and the September 11, 2001 attacks in the United States. [31]

Digital platforms have also enabled the spread of disinformation used to undermine states’ international and domestic stability, such as the interference of the Russian government in the 2016 U.S. presidential election. [31]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United States Department of State</span> Executive department of the U.S. federal government

The United States Department of State (DOS), or simply the State Department, is an executive department of the U.S. federal government responsible for the country's foreign policy and relations. Equivalent to the ministry of foreign affairs of other nations, its primary duties are advising the U.S. president on international relations, administering diplomatic missions, negotiating international treaties and agreements, and representing the U.S. at the United Nations. The department is headquartered in the Harry S Truman Building, a few blocks from the White House, in the Foggy Bottom neighborhood of Washington, D.C.; "Foggy Bottom" is thus sometimes used as a metonym.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Diplomat</span> Person appointed by a state to conduct diplomacy with another state or international organization

A diplomat is a person appointed by a state, intergovernmental, or nongovernmental institution to conduct diplomacy with one or more other states or international organizations.

In international relations, public diplomacy broadly speaking, is any of the various government-sponsored efforts aimed at communicating directly with foreign publics to establish a dialogue designed to inform and influence with the aim of building support for the state's strategic objectives. These also include propaganda. As the international order has changed over the twentieth century, so has the practice of public diplomacy. Its practitioners use a variety of instruments and methods ranging from personal contact and media interviews to the Internet and educational exchanges.

Public diplomacy in Israel refers to Israel's efforts to communicate directly with citizens of other nations to inform and influence their perceptions, with the aim of garnering support or tolerance for the Israeli government's strategic objectives. Historically, these efforts have evolved from being called "propaganda" by early Zionists, with Theodor Herzl advocating for such activities in 1899, to the more contemporary Hebrew term "hasbara" introduced by Nahum Sokolow, which translates roughly to "explaining". This communicative strategy seeks to justify actions and is considered reactive and event-driven.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Social media</span> Virtual online communities

Social media are interactive technologies that facilitate the creation, sharing and aggregation of content, ideas, interests, and other forms of expression through virtual communities and networks. Social media refer to new forms of media that involve interactive participation. While challenges to the definition of social media arise due to the variety of stand-alone and built-in social media services currently available, there are some common features:

  1. Social media apps are online platforms that enable users to create and share content and participate in social networking.
  2. User-generated content—such as text posts or comments, digital photos or videos, and data generated through all online interactions—is the lifeblood of social media.
  3. Users create service-specific profiles for the website or app that are designed and maintained by the social media organization.
  4. Social media helps the development of online social networks by connecting a user's profile with those of other individuals or groups.

The Office of eDiplomacy is an applied technology think tank for the United States Department of State. The Office of eDiplomacy is staffed by Foreign and Civil Service Officers in a wide range of specializations. There are four branches: the Diplomatic Innovation Division (DID), the Knowledge Leadership Division (KLD), the Customer Liaison Division (CLD), and the Business Requirements Unit (BRU).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bureau of International Information Programs</span> United States Department of State office

The U.S. Department of State's Bureau of International Information Programs (IIP) supported the department's public diplomacy efforts by providing and supporting the places, content, and infrastructure needed for "sustained conversations" with foreign audiences. It was headed by the Coordinator for International Information Programs. IIP was one of three bureaus that reported to the Undersecretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs. The Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and the Bureau of Public Affairs were its sister bureaus. On May 28, 2019, IIP merged with the Bureau of Public Affairs into the Bureau of Global Public Affairs, and the duties of IIP Coordinator merged into the duties of the Assistant Secretary of State for Global Public Affairs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kristie Kenney</span> American diplomat

Kristie Anne Kenney is a former senior U.S. diplomat who served as the 32nd Counselor of the United States Department of State from 2016 to 2017. She is a recipient of the Secretary of State's Distinguished Service Award and held the nation's highest diplomatic rank of Career Ambassador in the United States Foreign Service. She served as the Department of State Transition Coordinator for the 2016–17 transition.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Diplopedia</span> Online wiki encyclopedia of the United States Department of State

Diplopedia, billed as the Encyclopedia of the United States Department of State, is a wiki running on a State internal Intranet, called "OpenNet". It houses a unique collection of information pertaining to diplomacy, international relations, and Department of State tradecraft.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John R. Dinger</span> American diplomat

John R. Dinger, is a career diplomat in the United States Foreign Service. He has held leadership positions in the Department of State as Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Intelligence and Research, Chair of State's Cyber Policy Group, Deputy Coordinator for Counterterrorism, Ambassador to Mongolia, and Director of the State Department Office of Press Relations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Saranga</span> Israeli diplomat

David Saranga is an Israeli diplomat, Israel's former ambassador in Romania. He served as the Senior Foreign Affairs Advisor to the President of the State of Israel, Reuven (Ruvi) Rivlin, and former Head of European Parliament Liaison Department at the Israeli embassy in Brussels. Prior to that he served as Consul for Media and Public Affairs of Israel in the United States. Saranga was responsible for Israel's image in the United States and was the liaison person of Israel to the American media. The Jewish Chronicle described him as "The man whose campaigns are rebranding Israel." Saranga's initiative to invite Maxim magazine to Israel generated debate about the definition of public diplomacy. Prof. John H. Brown of Georgetown University described this initiative as the first event in a new branch of Public Diplomacy. Saranga was the first diplomat who implemented Web 2.0 governmental initiatives, including the first official blog of a country, a MySpace page, YouTube channel, Facebook page and a political blog.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Diplomacy</span> Practice of conducting negotiations between representatives of groups or states

Diplomacy comprises spoken or written communication by representatives of state, intergovernmental, or nongovernmental institutions intended to influence events in the international system.

USAbilAraby is the name used by the US Department of State's Arabic Media Hub for its Twitter account and YouTube channel. The name, "USAbilAraby," means "USA in Arabic." As this suggests, the Twitter account tweets messages from the US government, primarily in Arabic and typed in Arabic script. Similarly, the YouTube channel broadcasts official messages in Arabic. USAbilAraby's first tweet appeared on February 9, 2011; its first video was posted on May 4, 2011.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United States cyber-diplomacy</span>

Cyber-diplomacy is the evolution of public diplomacy to include and use the new platforms of communication in the 21st century. As explained by Jan Melissen in The New Public Diplomacy: Soft Power in International Relations, cyber-diplomacy “links the impact of innovations in communication and information technology to diplomacy.” Cyber-diplomacy is also known as or is part of public diplomacy 2.0, Digital diplomacy, EDiplomacy, and virtual diplomacy. Cyber-diplomacy has as its underpinnings that, “it recognizes that new communication technologies offer new opportunities to interact with a wider public by adopting a network approach and making the most of an increasingly multicentric global, interdependent system.”

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Twitter diplomacy</span> Use of X (formerly Twitter) by diplomats

Twitter diplomacy, or Twiplomacy, is a form of digital diplomacy, refers to the practice of conducting public diplomacy using the social media platform X by heads of state and diplomats, as well as leaders of intergovernmental organizations (IGOs).

Mark McDowell is a Canadian diplomat and was the first resident Ambassador of Canada to the Union of the Republic of Myanmar. He is considered an Asia hand and is a specialist in the fields of public diplomacy and digital diplomacy. He has been characterized as "an unconventional diplomat" and a champion of LGBTIQ rights.

Sergey Nalobin is a Russian diplomat, a Deputy Director of the Information and Press Department of the Russian MFA.

Social media use in politics refers to the use of online social media platforms in political processes and activities. Political processes and activities include all activities that pertain to the governance of a country or area. This includes political organization, global politics, political corruption, political parties, and political values. The media's primary duty is to present us with information and alert us when events occur. This information may affect what we think and the actions we take. The media can also place pressure on the government to act by signaling a need for intervention or showing that citizens want change.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elad Ratson</span>

Elad Ratson is an Israeli Diplomat and a Digital Diplomacy expert, Head of Israel's Ministry of Foreign Affairs Data Diplomacy R&D Unit. Ratson's previous Diplomatic positions include Deputy Chief of Mission of the Embassy of Israel in Côte d'Ivoire, Director of Public Relations of the Embassy of Israel in France and Director of Research & Development at the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs headquarters in Jerusalem. Ratson is most known for his work in the field of Digital diplomacy, the use of Social Media in Politics, the effects of Social media on the practice of Diplomacy and the Agenda-setting effect of social media on public opinion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wolf warrior diplomacy</span> 21st-century Chinese diplomatic tactic

Wolf warrior diplomacy is a form of public diplomacy involving compellence adopted by Chinese diplomats in the late 2010s. The term was coined from the title of the Chinese action film Wolf Warrior 2 (2017). This approach is in contrast to the prior diplomatic practices of Deng Xiaoping and Hu Jintao, which had emphasized the use of cooperative rhetoric and the avoidance of controversy.

References

  1. 1 2 Fergus Hanson (November 2012). "A Digital DFAT: Joining the 21st century". Lowy Institute. Archived from the original on 2012-03-22.
  2. ↑ "E-diplomacy Platform - DiploFoundation". diplomacy.edu. Archived from the original on 2011-01-23.
  3. ↑ Definition of eDiplomacy by Alec J. Ross - HUBFORUM 2010. YouTube. 1 October 2010. Archived from the original on 2021-12-19.
  4. ↑ Tutt. A. (2013), E-Diplomacy Capacities within the EU-27: Small States and Social Media (e-book access for free). 23 May 2014. Retrieved 2015-09-17.{{cite book}}: |website= ignored (help)
  5. ↑ Kurbalija, Jovan (October 1, 2017). "Chapter 8: The Impact of the Internet and ICT on Contemporary Diplomacy". In Kerr, Pauline (ed.). Diplomacy in a Globalizing World. Oxford University Press. pp. 151–169. ISBN   9780190647988.
  6. ↑ Fouts, Joshua (2009-10-13). "Social Media, Virtual Worlds and Public Diplomacy". World Politics Review. WPR LLC. Archived from the original on 2010-01-31. Retrieved 2009-11-06.
  7. ↑ Tutt. A. (2013), E-Diplomacy Capacities within the EU-27: Small States and Social Media. 23 May 2014. Retrieved 2015-09-17.{{cite book}}: |website= ignored (help)
  8. ↑ "Foreign ministry promotes digital diplomacy". RADIO THE VOICE OF VIETNAM. VOVNews. 2009-10-27. Archived from the original on 2009-11-09. Retrieved 2009-11-06.
  9. ↑ "What is digital diplomacy?". Foreign and Commonwealth Office. Archived from the original on 2012-04-20.
  10. ↑ "21st Century Statecraft". US State Department.
  11. ↑ "Welcome / Bienvenue". international.gc.ca.
  12. ↑ "The Cadieux-Léger Fellowship". DFAIT. Archived from the original on 2013-10-02. Retrieved 2013-08-15.
  13. ↑ Tham, Davina. "Taiwan's digital diplomacy gets a kickstart". www.taipeitimes.com. Taipei Times. Retrieved 8 January 2020.
  14. ↑ "United States Government Accountability Office [GAO] Cyber Diplomacy [U.S. Department of] State's Efforts Aim to Support U.S. Interests and Elevate Priorities: Report to Congressional Addressees" (PDF). January 2024.
  15. ↑ "About digital diplomacy". Archived from the original on 2012-03-28. Retrieved 2012-03-12.
  16. ↑ "Sweden's Carl Bildt 'best connected' Twitter leader". BBC News. 24 July 2013.
  17. ↑ "Twiplomacy - Mutual Relations on Twitter". Archived from the original on 29 August 2012. Retrieved 17 August 2012.
  18. ↑ Bilefsky, Dan (13 December 2013). "Kosovo Attains Status (on Facebook) It Has Sought for Years: Nation". The New York Times. Retrieved 2 January 2015.
  19. ↑ "PDiN Monitor - USC Center on Public Diplomacy". uscpublicdiplomacy.org. 9 April 2014.
  20. ↑ "TWEET THIS: STUDY FINDS LIMITS TO NEW 'TWIPLOMACY'". Associated Press. 26 July 2012. Archived from the original on 26 July 2012. Retrieved 17 August 2012.
  21. ↑ Miles, Tom (26 July 2012). "@tweeter-in-chief? Obama's outsourced tweets top twitocracy". Reuters. Retrieved 17 August 2012.
  22. ↑ Khazan, Olga (26 July 2012). "Diplomats on Twitter: Putin follows no one". Washington Post. Retrieved 17 August 2012.
  23. ↑ Internazionale, Ministero degli Affari Esteri e della Cooperazione. "13 Embassies in the US capital together for International Women's Day 2020". ambwashingtondc.esteri.it. Retrieved 2024-04-09.
  24. 1 2 "Twiplomacy Study 2020". Twiplomacy. July 20, 2020. Retrieved September 24, 2020.
  25. ↑ "Facebook diplomacy: peace may be just a click away". Google News. AFP. 2008-12-04. Retrieved 2009-11-06.
  26. ↑ "Facebook Developer Garage". Archived from the original on 2009-12-23. Retrieved 2009-11-06.
  27. 1 2 Duncombe, Constance (2019-04-22). "Digital Diplomacy: Emotion and Identity in the Public Realm". The Hague Journal of Diplomacy . 14 (1–2): 102–116. doi:10.1163/1871191X-14101016. ISSN   1871-1901. S2CID   159416123.
  28. 1 2 3 Pamment, James (2015-03-23). "Digital diplomacy as transmedia engagement: Aligning theories of participatory culture with international advocacy campaigns". New Media & Society. 18 (9): 2046–2062. doi:10.1177/1461444815577792. S2CID   5997200.
  29. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Manor, Ilan; Segev, Elad (2020). "Social Media Mobility: Leveraging Twitter Networks in Online Diplomacy". Global Policy. 11 (2): 233–244. doi:10.1111/1758-5899.12799. ISSN   1758-5899. S2CID   218846152.
  30. ↑ "Digital diplomacy". www.diplomacy.edu. Retrieved 2023-02-02.
  31. 1 2 3 4 Duncombe, Constance (2018). "Twitter and the Challenges of Digital Diplomacy". SAIS Review of International Affairs. 38 (2): 91–100. doi:10.1353/sais.2018.0019. ISSN   1945-4724. S2CID   159358068.

[1]

  1. ↑ "DIGIPLOMACY (Noun) definition and synonyms | Macmillan Dictionary". Macmillan Dictionary. Macmillan.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.