Digital diplomacy: Internet-based public diplomacy activities or novel forms of public engagement?

Abstract

Digital public diplomacy or digital diplomacy can be viewed as an Internet-based amplification of public diplomacy activities or as a novel set of practices enabled by participatory communication technologies. This tension is addressed through thematic content analysis of the Facebook posts and tweets of six actors. Results indicate that although the vast majority of the digital diplomacy could be classified according to Cull’s taxonomy of public diplomacy activities (The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science 616: 31–54, 2008), several posts and tweets could not be well placed into the taxonomy. An exploratory technological affordances approach locates four novel activities: engagement–promotion, routine lifestyle diplomacy, personal reaction/reflection diplomacy and Internet meme diplomacy. These are proposed as a standalone public diplomacy activity classification, social digital media diplomacy. The study also supplies evidence for differentiating digital diplomacy actors prior to analysis of activities: two US, two Swedish and two Indian actors are distinguished according to perceived stance toward participatory digital culture and ostensible emphases placed on cultural diplomacy and establishing conversation with publics. Implications from the perspectives of communication and international relations are discussed.