Please note: This post was recently modified. It originally included an account that was found to be fake. The author would like to thank @YeniDiplomasi for its feedback and calling his attention to this fake account. During the recent outbreak of violence in Gaza, the IDF's (Israeli Defense Forces) use of social media received widespread attention from international news... Continue Reading →
Who Do Journalists Follow in Twiplomacy?
Two weeks ago I purchased a copy of the Financial Times before boarding a plane in Geneva. I admit that this was a bold decision given the fact that I have a very poor understanding of financial matters. Yet what surprised me about this specific issue of the FT was not its content but rather... Continue Reading →
The Social Network of World Leaders on Twitter
Over the past few months, I have dedicated much time to analyzing the social networks of digital diplomacy. My assumption was that ministries of foreign affairs, embassies and other diplomatic institutions now routinely follow one another on social networks such as twitter and Facebook. This assumption was based on the fact that by following their... Continue Reading →
Exploring the E.U.’s Twiplomacy
From a diplomatic perspective, the European Union (EU) is a baffling entity. On the one hand, it represents a political union of 28 member states. As such, it has governing bodies, legislative bodies and a foreign service that promotes the E.U.'s interests around the world. On the other hand, each member state in the E.U.... Continue Reading →
Exploring the Use of Hashtags
A Swedish diplomat once asked me how one can reduce the complexities of international diplomacy to a 140 character tweet. I responded by saying that Twiplomacy must be regarded as an art form, one that uses the language of twitter in order to condense foreign policy initiatives or official statements into short bursts of diplomacy.... Continue Reading →
Great Expectations- what followers of diplomatic institutions expect to find online
Last week I had the opportunity to address a group of ambassadors to the UN Headquarters in Geneva. The topic of discussion was the current practice and potential of digital diplomacy at the embassy level. Following my presentation, the ambassadors asked me what are followers of digital diplomacy channels looking for? Why have they decided... Continue Reading →
Has the Media Lost its Position as the Middle Man in the Age of Digital Diplomacy?
Traditionally, the mass media has played an important role in the world of diplomacy. This is a result of the fact that the majority of the population learns about its government's foreign policy and global events from the news. However, journalists and news organizations do not simply relay information to the public but rather offer their... Continue Reading →
Exploring the @UN twitter channel
Over the past few months I have attempted to imagine the world of digital diplomacy as social networks. This has enabled me to explore the potential use of digital diplomacy as a source for gathering and disseminating information amongst various diplomatic institutions such as ministries of foreign affairs and embassies. My research has often focused... Continue Reading →
How World Leaders Use Twiplomacy
On Tuesday, the HindustanTimes published an article dealing with the manner in which India's new Prime Minister Narendra Modi uses social media as a tool for digital diplomacy. According to the article, India's Prime Minister uses social media sites such as twitter in order to engage with local and foreign publics as well as with... Continue Reading →
What Are the Force Amplifiers of Digital Diplomacy?
While digital diplomacy has become the "talk about town" in the corridors of ministries of foreign affairs, news organizations and academic departments, scholars and practitioners have yet to find an agreed upon definition of digital diplomacy. Upon searching for such a definition, I learned that some scholars view digital diplomacy as a force amplifier of... Continue Reading →