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By and large; the digital divide refers to inequality in access to, or ability to use, information and communication technologies. Such a divide may exist between populations and geographic areas in a given country or between countries. The global digital divide often refers to the fact that the internet has not spread evenly throughout the... Continue Reading →
During 2014, I began exploring digital diplomacy through social networks. I found that social networks are an effective way of analyzing digital diplomacy given that diplomats, embassies and MFAs now routinely follow one another on social media. For diplomats and diplomatic institutions, social media has become an important working tool as it enables them to gather... Continue Reading →
2014 Summaries Over the past few weeks, many bloggers, journalists and research institutes investigating digital diplomacy have published their summaries of 2014. One such summary that attracted much attention dealt with India's digital diplomacy achievements over the past year. While some have focused on the social media activity of India's new Prime Minister and twitter celebrity Narendra... Continue Reading →
When referring to the immerging field of digital diplomacy, many people place an emphasis on the manner in which social networking sites such as twitter and Facebook have altered the practice of diplomacy. Yet as I recently witnessed, the impact the digital age has had on diplomacy is far more reaching. Two weeks ago I... Continue Reading →
A Momentous Year in American History: 1927 would prove to be momentous year in American history. Prohibition had now entered its eighth year yet Americans were consuming more alcohol than ever. The Mississippi river had flooded bringing about one of the worst natural disasters in American history. Baseball legend Babe Ruth and the New York... Continue Reading →
A Brief Introduction to Communication Models: Throughout history, communication technologies have had a profound influence on the manner in which people perceive their world. Likewise, evolutions in communication technologies have often led to revolutions in societies. The invention of the printing press, for example, had a considerable contribution to the formation of modern nation states... Continue Reading →
Last week I published a post dealing with the possible integration of armed forces into the world of digital diplomacy. I was first interested in this issue after reading that the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) had joined twitter. The CIA's first tweet was a "tweet heard round the world" as it attracted much media... Continue Reading →
On Governments and Cyberspace In 1996 John Perry Barlow published the Deceleration of Independence of Cyberspace. In his manifesto, Barlow envisioned cyberspace as a world that is detached from the physical one, a world that would offer its inhabitants a new marketplace of ideas and free speech far from the tyranny of government. For in Barlow's... Continue Reading →
Over the past few months I have dedicated much time to investigating if the potential of digital diplomacy has been realized. By and large, it's fair to say that digital diplomacy channels target three audiences: foreign populations, journalists and foreign diplomatic institutions. When examining the degree to which foreign ministries (MFAs) and embassies follow one another,... Continue Reading →
The underlying assumption of nation branding is that countries have images, whether they manage them or not. Moreover, some believe that national images serve as stereotypes as they enable people to make sense of the world around them. Viewing national images as stereotypes leads to the conclusion that altering a nation's image is a prolonged... Continue Reading →
Exploring Digital Diplomacy 