Twitter diplomacy between India and the United States: Agenda-building analysis of tweets during presidential state visits

Abstract

This analysis examines Twitter comments from the United States and India (N = 11,532) during reciprocal state visits by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Barack Obama. Results show the most retweets in both countries were generated from the White House and from The Times of India, reflecting agenda-building effects. The American comments had more individual sources and they were far more negative about Obama than about Modi, unlike the Indian comments. Discussion addresses implications for global public diplomacy and international effects of government agenda-building.