Wikipedia is a Digital Diplomacy Priority

By the end of the 18th century, the Palace of Versailles was no longer home to France's greatest thinkers. These had migrated to Paris where they attended the city's salons. French salons were never as ostentatious as those of Versailles, nor as rigid and overburdened with ceremony. The salons were simple parlor gatherings hosted by... Continue Reading →

Sputnik Tweets Its Way to Legitimacy

Now is the age of nostalgia. Throughout the world we are witnessing a yearning desire to return to the world of yesteryear. The UK seeks to return to the Empire’s last stand in WW2. In Eastern Europe, populist leaders promise to resurrect a mythical past while in the West, there are those who long for... Continue Reading →

Biden’s 100 First Tweets in Office

The term ‘First 100 days’ in office was coined by US President Franklin D Roosevelt and referred to a windfall of legislation that Presidents promote during the earliest days of their administration. In Roosevelt’s case, the first 100 days were used to introduce 15 bills all meant to alleviate the Great Depression through ‘New Deal’... Continue Reading →

Social Media & Life in the Risk Society

In his book ‘Risk Society’, German Sociologist Ulrich Beck proposes a theory of reflexive modernity. Unlike other sociologists, Beck is far removed from the utopian vision of modernization as the continuous progress of industry and human thought. Namely he is concerned with the role of scientific knowledge in society. In Beck’s mind, scientific and industrial... Continue Reading →

Biden Goes Viral; But Not Among Diplomats

On January 20th, as President Joe Biden took the Oath of Office, he also gained control of the @POTUS Twitter account (President of the United States), one of the most followed accounts on Twitter. Both his predecessors had amassed a vast following online with Donald Trump reaching some 90 million followers and Barack Obama 137... Continue Reading →

The Two Faces of Maria Zakharova

In 1956, Erving Goffman introduced his theory of impression management. His book, The Presentation of the Self in Everyday Life, contended that individuals always strive to manage their impressions during social settings. To do, individuals must first identify the social setting they are in (e.g., a theatre or dinner party), adopt the most appropriate behaviors... Continue Reading →

The Silencing of an American President

On January 6th, 2021, riots broke out in Washington D.C. as an angry mob stormed the US Capitol. Though the rioters bore a striking resemblance to the inhabitants of trailer parks in Florida, scenes of armed and furious men seizing control of America’s seat of government shocked the nation, and the world. Some went as... Continue Reading →

The new “new” propaganda

The term propaganda has accompanied digital diplomacy since its inception more than a decade ago. Notably, although the propaganda has a negative connotation it actually dates back to the Catholic church that wished to propagate the faith. As technologies have evolved, so have the forms of propaganda. Under the reign of Henry VI, tapestries were... Continue Reading →

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