The Digitalization of Public Diplomacy

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The Digitalization of Public Diplomacy

Ilan Manor, University of Oxford

Overview

The Digital Society

The Digitalization of Public

Diplomacy

The Age of iBrands

The Two Stages of Digital

Diplomacy

Conclusions

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Chapter 1- The Rise of the Digital Society

Diplomacy & the Digital

Society

When examining public

diplomacy activities in the

digital age scholars

1. How digital technologies

facilitate PD (e.g. virtual

embassies)


disrupt PD (e.g.

disinformation)


empower new actors (e.g.

connected publics)

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Society

When examining public

diplomacy activities in the

digital age scholars


facilitate PD (e.g. virtual

embassies)


disrupt PD (e.g.

disinformation)


empower new actors (e.g.

connected publics)

BUT

Scholars fail to look at the

digital society

1. Diplomats are social

beings

2. Processes that impact

society impact diplomats

3. Diplomats adopt new

norms, new values, new

logics

4. Introduce these into MFAs

When social media are viewed by

society as positive

Harbingers of an Arab Spring

Diplomacy as a Social Institution

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society as positive


Diplomats view them as tools for

relationship & trust building

Launch virtual Embassies



society as positive






society as negative

Echo chambers of disinformation


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society as positive






society as negative

Echo chambers of disinformation

Diplomats view them as tools for foreign

meddling

Write algorithms to track and disable

fake accounts



Society

Diplomats and MFAs now

practice diplomacy in digital

societies

Or societies that have been

substantially reshaped by

digital technologies

Not all digital societies are

similar, but they share certain

values, norms and logic

These must help guide public

diplomacy activities

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Society

Digital technologies elicit

certain norms and values

Social media sites are

markets on which individuals

compete over attention of

digital publics

On social media, all users are

hyperactive PR specialists

Gaining attention requires

openness & authenticity


Society

Digital technologies elicit

certain norms and values

Social media sites are

markets on which individuals

compete over attention of

digital publics

On social media, all users are

hyperactive PR specialists

Gaining attention requires

openness and authenticity

Openness- a commitment to

lead a transparent life, share

failures and success

“Its complicated”, CVs of

failures, breakup vlogs

Authenticity- create a unique

and distinct brand

Its own look, tone, interest

iPhone, iPad, iBrand

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Society

Why the values of openness

& authenticity?

They breed likes, social

validation

They lead to sharing vast

amounts of information

All once done in secret must

be done in open- Zygmont

Bauman


Society

Why the values of openness

& authenticity?

They breed likes, social

validation

They lead to sharing vast

amounts of information

All once done in secret must

be done in open- Zygmont

Bauman

Information is fed to

algorithms

They are the foundations of

the digital economy and the

digital society

They turn information into

knowledge while knowledge

leads to revenues

A society of iBrands is at the

heart of the digital society

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Society

The digital society has a

deeply felt desire to annihilate

time and space

Space is annihilated as two

events can happen at the

same time despite distance

(Skype)

Time is annihilated by

challenging sequence of

events (20 year-old tech

CEOs, retirement as second

adolescence)


Society

The digital society has a

deeply felt desire to annihilate

time and space

Space is annihilated as two

events can happen at the

same time despite distance

(Skype)

Time is annihilated by

challenging sequence of

events (20 year-old tech

CEOs, retirement as second

adolescence)

The digital society is thus the

real t ime society

Members want to learn about

the world in real time

No matter how far the

occurrence

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The Digitalization of PD

The digitalization of public diplomacy

refers to the influence that digital tools

have had on the institutions,

practitioners and audiences of

diplomacy

It is a long-term process that

influences the values, norms and

working procedures of diplomats and

their institutions

It is a process that facilitates and

disrupts diplomacy

The Digitalization of Public Diplomacy - Timeline

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2008- Sweden

launches

Virtual Embassy

Sweden’s Virtual Embassy

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2011- US

launches

Virtual

Embassy Iran

2008- Sweden

launches

Virtual Embassy

US Embassy to Iran

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2011- US

launches

Virtual

Embassy Iran

2008- Sweden

launches

Virtual Embassy

2012- State Dept.

manages 1,200

social media

accounts

Social Media Empires

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2011- US

launches

Virtual

Embassy Iran

2008- Sweden

launches

Virtual Embassy

2014- Israel

launches Arab

Facebook page

2012- State Dept.

manages 1,200

social media

accounts


2011- US

launches

Virtual

Embassy Iran

2008- Sweden

launches

Virtual Embassy

2015- Germany

announces

expulsion of Russia

from G8 in a tweet

2012- State Dept.

manages 1,200

social media

accounts

2014- Israel

launches Arab

Facebook page

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Twiplomacy

Twiplomacy

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2011- US

launches

Virtual

Embassy Iran

2008- Sweden

launches

Virtual Embassy

2015- Germany

announces

expulsion of Russia

from G8 in a tweet

2012- State Dept.

manages 1,200

social media

accounts

2015- Canada,

Poland and Norway

MFAs all launch

smartphone

applications

2014- Israel

launches Arab

Facebook page

Canada’s Consular Application

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2011- US

launches

Virtual

Embassy Iran

2008- Sweden

launches

Virtual Embassy

2014- Germany

announces

expulsion of Russia

from G8 in a tweet

2012- State Dept.

manages 1,200

social media

accounts

2015- Canada,

Poland and Norway

MFAs all launch

smartphone

applications

2016- Israel MFA

establishes unit of

algorithmic

diplomacy

2014- Israel

launches Arab

Facebook page

2007-2014: Digital Diplomacy Emerging

Use of digital tools to communicate with

the audiences of diplomacy

People interested in global affairs

Journalists

Policy makers

Diaspora

Diplomatic institutions

Domestic population

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Public Diplomacy in the

Digital Society

Diplomatic organizations have

adopted the logic of the

digital society

Alec Ross “Open is good.

Closed is bad. Authenticity is

key”

Director of British diplomatic

academy “ambassadors don’t

attract followers because they

are boring”

Chapter 2- Creating a Digital iBrand

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Selfie Diplomacy

Some MFAs/Embassies

dedicate substantial

resources to branding

Create a unique iBrand

In terms of content

In terms of tone

For Russian MFA, that tone

rests on the use of humour

and satire

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Levels of Analysis

First level- Obama is lame

Levels of Analysis


Second level- Obama is irrelevant,

belongs to the past, Russia belong

to the future

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Levels of Analysis


Second level- Obama is irrelevant,

belongs to the past, Russia belong

to the future

Third level- Russian diplomacy is

blunt and clear spoken,

understandable to the common

man/woman

Russian Embassy iBrand

Russia does not mince words/ hide

behind diplomatic phrasing

Speaks truth to power

Powerful iBrand in age that rebukes PC

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Goals of Using Humour

1. Use humour to discredit an opponent

2. Drive attention away from an issue

3. Reframe the debate- it’s about NATO’s

credibility not Russia’s actions in

Ukraine

4. Impact the media narratives- coverage

of Tweets rather than coverage of

Crimea

5. Russian response to NATO’s threats:

Don’t make us laugh!

6. Recrafting the Russian Selfie- not the

weak state of the 1990s

A tone that is adopted across Russian

accounts

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Global Coalition Against Daesh

Two iBrands- positive and negative

Based on the use of images/ videos

Place emphasis on images/videos- Why are

images helpful?

Goals include

• Showing success of coalition

• Rallying support for coalition activities

• Creating a narrative of coalition activities

• Negating Daesh narratives

• Stopping Daesh recruitment


Analysed 324 tweets

Dec 2016-Jan 2017

Focused on the use of images to create a

narrative

Investigate which images best resonate with

online followers

Emphasis on images as these elicit emotions,

and emotions drive influence

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Theme #1: A better alternative future


Theme #2: Liberation and Reconstruction

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Theme #3: Daesh Lies Exposed


Theme #4: “Evil” Daesh/ “Good” Coalition

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The narrative is that of “struggle and

reconstruction”

The Coalition’s efforts, from building Iraqi

military to preventing children being

recruited by Daesh, are all explained by

the narrative

Narrative includes two elements-

negative depiction of Daesh,

positive depiction of reconstruction


Tweets that had positive messages elicited

higher engagement rates

Tweets with positive images elicited higher

engagement rates

Tweets that had negative messages

received little engagement

and elicited more negative comments

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Studies suggest that negative emotions

travel faster online

The age of rage and trolls

Hate elicits more interaction than hope

Coalition analysis suggest the opposite

In digital diplomacy, hope travels further

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Two Palestinian iBrands


Negative

depiction-

Palestine as

occupied

te r ritory

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Negative

depiction-

Palestine as

occupied

te r ritory

Positive

depiction-

Palestine as

a de facto

State


Negative

depiction-

Palestine as

occupied

te r ritory

Positive

depiction-

Palestine as

a de facto

State

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Statistical Analysis

Negative depiction-

Pa lestine as o ccupied territory

Po sitive

de piction-Pa lestine as a de

f a cto State

Analyzed 500 Tweets

Positive depictions of Palestine- gains more

replies

UN g ets more Replies than PLO

UN g ets more Likes than PLO

UN g ets more Re-Tweets than PLO

Conclusion

Statistical Analysis

Online audiences react

better to positive

depictions of Palestine

not negative ones.

Positive as in a State in

the Making.

Analyzed 500 Tweets

Positive depictions of Palestine- gains more

replies

UN g ets more Replies than PLO

UN g ets more Likes than PLO

UN g ets more Re-Tweets than PLO

Negative depiction-

Pa lestine as o ccupied territory

Po sitive

de piction-Pa lestine as a de

f a cto State

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Conclusions

People now committed to openness- expect

the same from diplomats

The digital society is the real-time society.

Requires the practice of real-time diplomacy

iBrand is a means of creating a strong

follower base. Deals with certain issues from

a certain perspective

In diplomacy, positive messages travel

further—Why?

The use of images is strategic- drives

emotions and influence

Chapter 4- The Two Stages of Public

Diplomacy

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The First Stage of Digital Diplomacy

2011-2015

Mass migration online of foreign ministries,

embassies and diplomats

Establishing a formidable online presence

Creating profiles on numerous social media

channels

The rise of social media empires- in 2012,

State Department manages 1,200 accounts

Growth indicators= re-tweets, shares,

followers

The Second Stage of Digital Diplomacy

2015-

Professionalization of digital diplomacy

MFA training to diplomats

Establishment of digital units in MFAs

Digital Diplomacy guidelines for consular crises

Digital Diplomacy protocol for times of political

crises

Feedback from the MFA to embassies

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The First Stage of Digital Diplomacy The Second Stage of Digital Diplomacy


Linear Communication Models


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Algorithm

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Algorithmic diplomacy

Attempts to “hack” algorithms

Piggybacking popular hashtags

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Attempts to hack algorithms


Joint social media campaigns

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UK Against Daesh- Think Again Turn Away

Share Content

Share content/

hashtags

UK Against Daesh- Think Again Turn Away

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Attempts to hack algorithms


Joint social media campaigns

Humour

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News articles throughout the

world

All included Iranian threat

All mentioned Iran Nuclear

Accord

Israeli narrative finds way to

mainstream media all over the

world



Digital Tactics- how do I create a

viral Tweet?



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Digital Tactics- how do I create a

viral Tweet?



Digital Strategies- Creating content so

as to achieve a pre-defined and

measurable of fline goal

e.g., increasing tourism, crafting a new

national image, passing a human rights

resolution, forcing and adversary to

change his actions, rallying support for

a political stance

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Digital Tactics

Targeting



Digital Strategies

Tailoring



Digital Tactics

Targeting- messages to broad

audiences (don’t drink and drive)



Digital Strategies

Tailoring

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Digital Tactics

Targeting- messages to broad

audiences (don’t drink and drive)



Digital Strategies

Tailoring- crafting messages that will

resonate with a specific audience

Based on that audience's beliefs/

knowledge/ preferences

Campaign for 18 year old drivers who

can now also drink



Digital tactics

Targeting



Digital Strategies

Tailoring-

Using Big Data. Sentiment analysis to

identify audiences views, beliefs,

behaviours

What messages work?

What messages are rejected?

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Tailoring- Michael Pompeo Iran Address

Tailoring- Michael Pompeo Iran Address

16 Tweets

800 comments from Twitter

users

Sentiment analysis

Which arguments worked best

Which failed

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Digital tactics

Targeting

Networks of influencers



Digital Strategies

Tailoring

Networked Gatekeepers



Digital tactics

Targeting




Digital Strategies

Tailoring

Networked Gatekeepers- stemming the

tide of hate and disinformation

Quarantine of networks

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Digital tactics

Targeting


Argument based diplomacy - an

argument for each event/

occurrence/ policy



Digital Strategies

Tailoring


Narrative based diplomacy- an overall

narrative that captures your foreign

policy goals ; Through this narrative

events are explained; events are linked

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Britain’s Narrative- Global Britain, Post Brexit


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Russia’s Narrative- Crimea

Problem- the lives of Russian minorities

in Ukraine are under attack

Cause- attacks by Neo Nazis who staged

a coup in Kiev

Moral evaluation- use of the term Neo

Nazis

Suggested Remedy- joining of Crimea to

Russian Federation

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Digital tactics

Targeting


Argument based diplomacy

Overall number of followers



Digital Strategies

Tailoring


Narrative based diplomacy

Followers from epistemic communities

Epistemic Followers of MFAs

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Digital tactics

Targeting


Argument based diplomacy

Overall number of followers

Engagement- Retweets, Shares,

Like, information from SNS


Digital Strategies

Tailoring


Narrative based diplomacy

Followers from epistemic communities

Engagement- comments, analysis of

comments, Retweets from targeted

audience, power of Q&A

Chapter 5- Crafting a Digital Strategy

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Crafting a Digital Diplomacy Strategy

Defining a foreign policy goal

Defining a target audience

Audience research

Crafting a strategic narrative

Networking with other nodes

Employing images in narrative

Pre-scheduling 75% of the content

Interpreting new events through the narrative

Crafting a Digital Diplomacy Strategy

Defining a foreign policy goal (new resolution on digital rights)

Defining a target audience (other missions, tech companies, tech papers)

Audience research (f ree assessment tools)

Crafting a strategic narrative (Digital Rights are a 21st century human right)

Networking with other nodes (missions, non-state actors, advocacy networks)

Employing images in narrative (images that resonate with narrative)

Pre-scheduling 75% of the content (tweet formulation, shared hashtags images,

t iming)

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Evaluating a Digital Diplomacy Strategy

Ability to reach target audience

Ability to amass followers from target audience

Accumulated reach of the narrative

Narrative coverage in traditional media/ relevant

media

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The Digitalization of Public Diplomacy

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