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Hashtag diplomacy: twitter as a tool for engaging in public diplomacy and promoting US foreign policy

Author

Listed:
  • Stephen D. Collins

    (Kennesaw State University)

  • Jeff R. DeWitt

    (Kennesaw State University)

  • Rebecca K. LeFebvre

    (Kennesaw State University)

Abstract

While national governments increasingly deploy digital diplomacy communication strategies to harness the power of social media, political scientists have paid sparse attention to certain aspects of this development. Our study endeavors to address this lacuna by employing content analysis and data-analytic methodologies to examine U.S. Twitter diplomacy. We leverage a robust dataset of tweets posted by leading foreign policy officials in the Obama administration to determine whether Twitter diplomacy exhibited a coherent communication strategy (per the rational actor model of foreign policy), or a more ad-hoc and disjointed practice (per the pluralist and bureaucratic politics models). Furthermore, this study assesses several variables relating to the efficacy of Twitter statecraft, including the formatting of tweets, and the resonance and geographic reach of tweets. We find that Twitter diplomacy under the Obama administration was largely rational; that is, it reflected the rational actor model, as the topic focus of tweets was proportional to stated U.S. foreign policy priorities.

Suggested Citation

  • Stephen D. Collins & Jeff R. DeWitt & Rebecca K. LeFebvre, 2019. "Hashtag diplomacy: twitter as a tool for engaging in public diplomacy and promoting US foreign policy," Place Branding and Public Diplomacy, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 15(2), pages 78-96, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:pal:pbapdi:v:15:y:2019:i:2:d:10.1057_s41254-019-00119-5
    DOI: 10.1057/s41254-019-00119-5
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    3. Moran Yarchi & Tal Samuel-Azran & Lidor Bar-David, 2017. "Facebook users’ engagement with Israel’s public diplomacy messages during the 2012 and 2014 military operations in Gaza," Place Branding and Public Diplomacy, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 13(4), pages 360-375, November.
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    Cited by:

    1. Nisha Garud-Patkar, 2022. "Is digital diplomacy an effective foreign policy tool? Evaluating India’s digital diplomacy through agenda-building in South Asia," Place Branding and Public Diplomacy, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 18(2), pages 128-143, June.
    2. Ricardo J. Valencia & Derek Moscato, 2021. "Navigating #ObamainCuba: how Twitter mediates frames and history in public diplomacy," Place Branding and Public Diplomacy, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 17(2), pages 168-179, June.
    3. Julia Gray & Philip Potter, 2020. "Diplomacy and the Settlement of International Trade Disputes," Journal of Conflict Resolution, Peace Science Society (International), vol. 64(7-8), pages 1358-1389, August.

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