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Throughout the 1980s, historian Eric Hobsbawm delivered a series of lectures examining the work of historians and the state of social history, his chosen discipline. Hobsbawm’s lectures coincided with tectonic shifts in global politics and rapid technological advancements as this decade witnessed the end of the Cold War, the false promise of neo-liberalism championed by... Continue Reading →
The past four days have seen the onset of a new crisis in the Middle East following a coordinated U.S.-Israeli attack on Iran. The present crisis in the region is emblematic of 21st-century crises in three ways. First, the present crisis has engulfed the region, with Iran firing ballistic missiles and drones at Saudi Arabia,... Continue Reading →
Since the onset of the 2022 Russia-Ukraine War, the government of Ukraine has relied heavily on social media to narrate war related events, shape media coverage of the war, rally online support for Ukraine’s war effort and delegitimize Russia’s violent invasion. In a recent journal article, Moran Yarchi and I sought to examine Ukraine’s innovative... Continue Reading →
Digital diplomacy is now entering its third decade. Having emerged circa 2008 with the establishment of virtual embassies in virtual worlds, digital diplomacy now includes the use of diverse technologies ranging from social media to messaging applications, blogs, smartphone applications, big data analysis, coding, websites, and even crowdfunding, as recently used by Ukraine. For policymakers,... Continue Reading →
Over the past few months, two social media trends have generated news headlines. The first trend suggests that social media is increasingly becoming less social. Across various age groups, individuals are posting less content online. When users do post content, it is usually disseminated among small groups of friends via WhatsApp groups or Instagram stories.... Continue Reading →
Note: This post was originally published on E-International Relations. Click here to view The rapid rise of AI companions represents a profound shift in how people relate to technology. Originally designed to answer queries, provide information, and assist with daily tasks, AI tools such as ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini are now being customized by users... Continue Reading →
Last week, The Economist published a review of the burgeoning AI companion industry. The companion industry is gaining momentum globally, with individuals either customizing existing platforms like ChatGPT into romantic partners, with specified ages, professions (such as tech executive), and personality traits encompassing wit, dry humour, and an appreciation for romantic comedies. Others turn to... Continue Reading →
Over the past few weeks, several reports and publications have suggested that social media is entering a new era. The reason being that social media is increasingly becoming less social. During the early days of social media, millions of users would publish updates from their daily lives. Platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram were... Continue Reading →
In recent months, a growing number of news articles have focused on the practice of prompt busting- a technique used to overcome AI guardrails. According to ChatGPT, guardrails are “rules, systems, and safeguards built into an artificial intelligence model to ensure that it behaves safely, ethically, and reliably.” The goal of prompt busting is to... Continue Reading →
The digitalization of diplomacy has led to profound changes in MFAs (ministries of foreign affairs) across the world. This change has structural, normative, and practical dimensions. Structurally, most MFAs now have digital units tasked with authoring digital content and analyzing the social media output of other actors. In many MFAs, social media is used as... Continue Reading →
Exploring Digital Diplomacy 