Public diplomacy in social media: an examination of Twitter use by foreign embassies in the U.S.

Abstract

Digitalization has changed public diplomacy (PD). Literature suggests that the new PD is dialogic and collaborative. Additionally, the presence of embassies online indicates the adoption of new communication platforms. Using Cull’s Taxonomy of Public Diplomacy, this study analyzed tweets from January 2020 for 27 foreign embassies based in the U.S. It found that the embassies still predominantly use a traditional broadcast model of communication rather than a collaborative dialogic model. It therefore also found that these embassies do not fully utilize the benefits social media present to its users. Listening on social media was notably the least-used public diplomacy strategy, while international broadcasting was the most frequently used. Results also show that images are the most-used media and mentions are more frequently used than hashtags. The study also found that there is a correlation between engagement and Twitter content like hashtags and media used in tweets. In an exploratory qualitative analysis of the nature of conversation in the users’ replies to tweets, the study found mostly negative sentiment and emotions. This finding, though limited, suggests that embassies should aim to establish a more positive engagement with their audiences. Overall, this study suggests that there is a significant difference in what literature states the digital public diplomacy should be, the benefits this new way of engaging with audiences could present to public diplomacy efforts, and what it is in practice. The researcher recommends public diplomacy practitioners could implement several strategies to improve their success in conducting public diplomacy via Twitter.