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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 →
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 →
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 →
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 →
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 →
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 →
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 →
On July 17th, Israel's Ambassador to the United States Ron Dermer held a Q&A session on twitter aimed at answering questions relating to the current outbreak of violence between Israel and Hamas which now includes a ground offensive by the Israeli Army into the Gaza strip named Operation Protective Edge. Twitter followers were asked to... Continue Reading →
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 →
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 →
