Studies have shown that profile pictures on social media serve two main functions. The first is the creation of an online identity. SNS users employ their profile picture to construct an identity and to communicate that identity to their online communities. Through images users can express their beliefs and values and identify the political movements... Continue Reading →
On Memory, Digitalization & Public Diplomacy in Auschwitz
Throughout the 20th century, numerous intellectual have sought to come to grips with the existence of the Auschwitz Concentration Camp. According to author Primo Levy, Auschwitz was its own universe. The laws that govern our universe, those of physics and mathematics, were suspended in Auschwitz. It was a place with its own language, moral codes,... Continue Reading →
Monday’s Must Read List
Each week, I publish a list of interesting articles, essays and reports that may be of interest to the digital diplomacy community. This week- Technology Without Transparency Lacks Trust (Forbes)Start-Ups Aim Beyond Earth (The New York Times)Carbon removal hype is becoming a dangerous distraction (MIT Technology Review)The dangerous appeal of technology-driven futures (MIT Technology Review)Pentagon... Continue Reading →
How Do Domestic Digital Policies Shape Digital Diplomacy?
Last week, I had the opportunity to participate in a conference organized by the European International Studies Association. One of the presentations focused on the Indian government’s new affinity for limiting access to the internet and social media sites under the guise of national security. In recent years, a growing number of nations have limited... Continue Reading →
Monday’s Must Read List
Each week, I publish a list of interesting articles, essays and reports that may be of interest to the digital diplomacy community. This week- Questions To Ask When Implementing Technology (Forbes)Facial Recognition Technology Solves Crimes, but at What Cost? (VOA)New funding from UK Space Agency will kickstart space technology projects (UK Gov)From smart to good... Continue Reading →
Is it time for a terminology shift in digital diplomacy?
The digitalization of diplomacy has been closely associated with the practice of public diplomacy. Indeed, early adopters sought to leverage digital tools such as social media, blog sites and virtual worlds to foster ties with foreign populations. Public diplomacy underscored the digitalization of the US State Department that sought to engage with critical Muslim audiences... Continue Reading →
Monday’s Must Read List
Each week, I publish a list of interesting articles, essays and reports that may be of interest to the digital diplomacy community. This week- Post-Pandemic Technology Trends. It’s Time To Identify The Friends & the Enemies (Forbes)Google’s Internet Ad Dominance Draws Fresh E.U. Antitrust Inquiry (The New York Times)Can technology help solve the biodiversity crisis?... Continue Reading →
GCHQ on Twitter: Brand Management and Public Engagement
Several weeks ago I analyzed the Twitter account of the Chief of MI6, the United Kingdom’s foreign intelligence agency. I was curious to examine why the UK’s top spy has joined Twitter and how he uses Twitter to advance his organization. I found that the Chief uses Twitter to increase the perceived transparency of MI6... Continue Reading →
A Q &A with University Students- Assessing the Impact of Diplomacy’s Digitalization
This week I was invited to a Q&A session with university students in Chile. Many questions were asked, ranging from the role of Ambassadors in the digital age to the live-streaming of UN deliberations. Below are questions and answers that may prove valuable to scholars and practitioners of digital diplomacy. Q: Has digitalization led to... Continue Reading →
Covid’s Diplomatic Legacy
Last month, ‘The Economist’ magazine published an extensive article examining Covid’s impact on the practice of diplomacy. According to the article, the Coronavirus has led to the accelerated digitalization of diplomacy. Once the United Nations Headquarters shut its doors, and as diplomats all over the world found themselves quarantined at home, diplomacy migrated to digital... Continue Reading →