“If there’s one word to describe the state of digital diplomacy now, it’s ‘messy.’” — Brian Fung, Digital Diplomacy: Why It’s so Tough for Embassies to Get Social Media Right
The first time when someone actually had the heart to tell foreign service veterans that the world of diplomacy needs to take Facebook and Twitter seriously saw an awkward silence followed by riotous laughter. During the nascence of Facebook and Twitter, social media was considered by many as the playthings of teen-agers, not something that governments could take seriously. I remember clearly sometime in 2009 when people still found it weird to find their parents opening Facebook or Twitter accounts.
The initial reaction of the foreign service (in many places around the world) is nothing particularly surprising.
“When the telegraph first came into use, it scandalized the foreign policy establishment. It was more than two decades after the first Morse telegraph networks were established before the U.S. State Department connected its overseas missions through this new communications tool,” Ferguson Hanson said in an article for Brookings called, eDiplomacy: How the State Uses Social Media.
Fast forward 13 years later since Facebook was founded and you see countless diplomats, foreign ministries, consulates, and embassies in a frantic jumble trying to catch up and master this new technology.
While some digital natives are ranting about how foreign ministries never seem to get social media right, to be fair, there are certain age-old protocols in the intriguing and mystery-veiled world of foreign service that today’s digital diplomats are trying to grapple with. Suffice to say, with digital diplomacy–diplomacy that uses digital and social media to win the hearts and minds of domestic and foreign audiences–gaining ground, there is hope that although foreign ministries are panting in an effort to keep up with the pace of lightning-fast technological innovation, we will eventually get there.
As of today, there is still a dearth of digital natives in the ranks of the world’s foreign ministries, particularly in positions where critical decisions need to be made in terms of digital diplomacy. There are still many who are uncomfortable or averse to this seemingly new technology, those who adamantly and vehemently believe that social media has no place in traditional diplomacy. However, digital diplomacy is not here to replace traditional diplomacy. Rather, it’s a new tool in the diplomatic tool kit meant to amplify current diplomatic efforts especially given the emerging trends in international relations and world politics.
What is keeping digital diplomacy in a jumbled mess today is the F-word: FEAR. Fear of what could go wrong. Fear of making mistakes. Fear of making irreversible mistakes. Fear of the unknown. Yet beyond this anxiety of being thrown into inferno in case one makes mistakes in the conduct of digital diplomacy, foreign ministries need to worry about a greater fear that I hope will motivate them to double up their efforts in digital diplomacy: the fear of being left out of the conversation, the fear of being left behind in a world where today’s technological breakthrough is tomorrow’s throwback. If you don’t adapt to the changing milieu, you will inevitably become extinct.
There is still this palpable compulsion of some people to become micromanagers or control freaks on steroids. Sadly, the 21st century is the worst time to become a control freak.
Here’s a few of what those who are not quick to adapt to digital diplomacy are sorely missing out on:
The chance to take advantage of the wisdom of the crowd
The beauty about social media is that it makes it cheaper and faster for foreign ministries to get the pulse of the crowd when it comes to foreign policy positions or other issues involving the country’s foreign affairs. The posts, tweets, comments, and articles in social media are often very candid and raw, thus providing an opportunity to do a deep dive and analyze what a certain segment of your target audience is actually feeling. Of course, this task can’t be done right without the proper training in reading social media insights and analytics. That’s something governments must also invest in in terms of training (but that will have to be expounded in a different post).
One of the key tasks of a diplomat is gathering intelligence. Knowing how to handle, source out, and interpret the data from social media in order to distill critical points that can help your foreign ministry create or recalibrate a certain policy can now be done faster and on an unprecedented scale through digital diplomacy. Diplomats can now monitor events at real time, engage the host country’s citizens more easily, and use data analysis tools in order to make sense of the barrage of data. Isn’t that exciting? I think it is.
The chance to effectively engage your citizens during crises
This is one facet of digital diplomacy that directly touches the lives of your citizens, especially the diaspora population. Lately, natural and man-made disasters have erupted all over the world. One of the important responsibilities of diplomats is to make sure that the citizens of your home country are safe and out of harm’s way. The previous years have shown how several ministries around the world have harnessed the power of social media in order to engage their citizens (and their loved ones) who are affected by a range of crises such as bombings, shootings, typhoons, floods, and the like.
Ministries can encourage their diaspora populations to use Facebook’s safety check function in times to crises. This is a huge help in immediately informing their loved ones that they are out of harm’s way. Although not everyone has a Facebook account, other social media platforms can be used in order for the Ministry to delivery quick, bite-sized updates to their audience and conversely, people can use social media as a way to get in touch with their respective embassies and consulates when they need help.
In May 2016, Twiplomacy published a report on how social media has transformed the way foreign ministries respond to crises.
The chance to tell your story
Digital diplomacy has become one of the most powerful tools in public diplomacy. Ministries of foreign affairs are now able to reach out to billions of people. Some ministries such as the Indian Ministry of Foreign Affairs even has a separate Twitter account for Indian Public Diplomacy. Many of its top diplomats such as former Indian Foreign Ministers Nirupama Rao and Sushma Swaraj use the power of social media to effectively tell the story of Indian identity to their legions of followers. What makes these diplomats effective storytellers is that they personally manage their Twitter accounts thus giving their digital presence a sense of authenticity.
Social media can also be used as a platform for Ministries to make people understand the work of a diplomat better. During this year’s women’s month, the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs launched a social media campaign called Women of the Philippine Foreign Service which featured several female diplomats in the Philippine Foreign Service who shared their experiences in one of the most challenging professions in the world.
Still having doubts about digital diplomacy?
It’s normal to be anxious and afraid of trying new things. But one has to weigh the costs and benefits very carefully. While the jitters surrounding how to do digital diplomacy are valid, these fears must not stand in the way one being able to unleash to power of digital diplomacy in helping you achieve and even strengthen your country’s foreign policy goals.
Social media, like all other kinds of technology, has its pros and cons. However, its relative limitations should not be reason to shy away from it. Like all other kinds of technology, it’s in the hands of the user to use it as a tool to bring the greater good.
I love what Brian Fung said in his article in the Atlantic: “Digital diplomacy can thrive only if foreign ministries accept some uncertainty over what to do and how to behave Luckily, they won’t have to forever…as their ranks come to include more people who grew up inhabiting social media rather than having to learn it from scratch, the more comfortable foreign ministries will be with devolving authority to the individual–whether that means presidents and foreign ministers tweeting with their own two thumbs or the distant embassy official in a faraway land. When we’ll cross that threshold is hard to say. But chances are that when we do, digital diplomacy will have become so normal that nobody will think to mention it.”
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