On Nation Branding: While the practice of digital diplomacy brings with it many benefits to foreign ministries, its practice also poses many challenges. From the need to coordinate messages on a global scale, to the training of diplomats and ambassadors in the use of social media platforms, the practice of digital diplomacy requires a growing... Continue Reading →
Palestine’s Online Line of Defence
As the violence between Israel and Palestine continued to escalate over the past week, both parties took to social media in order to offer their narrative of events. Last week I explored Israel’s official narrative by analysing tweets published by Israel’s MFA. What struck me most was the fact that Israel’s narrative seems to completely... Continue Reading →
Real Time Diplomacy?
Philip Seib argues that the advent of social media and social networking sites have brought about a new form of diplomacy, one that must contends with global events taking place in real time. In an age when a single video documenting the brutal oppression of a demonstration circles the globe within hours, foreign ministries are... Continue Reading →
When the World Welcomed Mahmoud Abbas to Twitter
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 →
“Follow-mies”- Do Enemies Follow One Another on Twitter?
I have often wondered if a foreign ministry's decision to follow another foreign ministry on twitter or Facebook is regarded as a political decision. In attempt to answer this question, I decided to search for "follow-mies", countries that are enemies in the go-political world but that follow one another on twitter. This was made possible... Continue Reading →
Palestine- Tweeting its Way to Statehood?
Social Networking Sites such as twitter and Facebook have long since become a fixture in our lives. Whether they are used as a tool for maintaining and deepening friendships, seeking new employment opportunities or even gathering information on past lovers, social networks have impacted numerous areas of daily life. Yet what is truly remarkable is... Continue Reading →
America’s Selfie: How the United States portrays itself on its Digital Diplomacy channels
Two months ago I concluded a three week exploratory study of Digital Diplomacy channels operated by foreign ministries. The study aimed to explore differences between official twitter channels and Facebook profiles and answer the age old question- are different messages used in different mediums? While three weeks are a relatively short period in the physical... Continue Reading →