This article explores persuasive applications of humour in public diplomacy. I propose a new concept of strategic humour – the use of humour by state and proxy actors to promote instrumental ...interpretations of contested international events to foreign and domestic publics. Through strategic humour, states frame events in ways that advance their interests, deflect external criticism, and challenge narratives of other actors. In an entertaining form, strategic humour delivers a serious message that is simple, accessible, memorable, suited to the new media ecologies, and competitive in capturing news media and public attention. I focus on Russia as a state recently involved in a range of major controversies and demonstrate its use of strategic humour in three case studies. I argue that strategic humour is a fast-emerging, multi-format tool in public diplomacy, facilitated by the rise of social media and post-truth politics and less dependent on the state’s broader power resources.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, ODKLJ, OILJ, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
This paper examines the theoretical frame regarding the audience with special focus on foreign diasporas as part of the potential stakeholders for initiatives in contemporary public diplomacy. Within ...the light of recent developments in digital communication and the widespread use of social media, we investigate the evolution of the concept for exclusively foreign audience in public diplomacy initiatives. The hypothesis of the author is that within the highly digitalized and globalized contemporary environment, it is impossible to completely separate domestic and foreign audiences. Thus, the dualistic Yin and Yang Model of the audience in public diplomacy is introduced. The concept can be useful for future theoretical and empirical research in the field, as well as a starting point for further academic debates and analysis.
This article explores the use of conspiracy theories by the Russian international television channel Russia Today (RT). Based on Mark Fenster's definition of conspiracy theory as a populist theory of ...power, the article studies the process of how various conspiratorial notions in programmes broadcast by RT legitimise Russian domestic and foreign policies and, in turn, delegitimise policies of the American government. It argues that the conspiratorial component of RT's broadcasting appears as a political instrument in the context of the post-Cold War world and is applied to attract various global audiences with different political views.
This paper observes the practice of Indonesian Missions abroad in conducting public diplomacy via social media. The research question is how do the Indonesian Missions abroad utilize social media to ...connect with the public and to support Indonesia’s foreign policies? This paper uses a descriptive qualitative method with primary and secondary data. Primary data are gathered by observing @indonesiainjeddah and @desrapercaya on Instagram. Secondary data are compiled by using literature studies of articles from reputable journals. There are three main findings of this paper. Firstly, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Indonesia emphasizes the importance of digital technology for diplomacy, proven by the Social Media Awards to appreciate the efforts in disseminating Indonesia’s foreign policy overseas. Secondly, the Indonesian Consulate in Jeddah, @indonesiainjeddah, has utilized social media account to disseminate Indonesia’s foreign policy, covering economic and health diplomacy, diplomacy for citizens’ protection, and Indonesia’s G20 Presidency. Thirdly, Ambassador Desra Percaya, @desrapercaya, has contributed to disseminating the foreign policy of Indonesia in the context of economic diplomacy, sports diplomacy, and the regional issue of ASEAN, with the additional element of cultural diplomacy. These findings confirm that Indonesia’s public diplomacy can be conducted using social media, to further promote Indonesia’s foreign policy.
Raoul Wallenberg: Life and Legacy examines important events in the life of the Swedish diplomat, but this is not a traditional biography. Starting from Wallenberg’s time in Budapest during 1944–1945, ...the book analyses how Wallenberg went from being a highly sensitive topic in Swedish politics to becoming a personification of humanitarian effort during the Holocaust, as well as a ‘brand’ in Swedish foreign politics. Fictional portrayals of Wallenberg are another essential feature. Looking at the many ways in which his life has been represented in monuments, on opera stages, in a television serial, and in a feature film, it becomes apparent that scholarly historical perspectives have not set the agenda for engagement with Wallenberg. Finally, this study raises a vital issue: how can Wallenberg’s memory be kept alive as the distance to those events with which he was so powerfully connected recede into the background?
The Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 resulted in an armed conflict that led to the death of thousands of soldiers and innocent civilians. While the countries waged war on the ground in ...places like Kyiv, Kharkiv, and Mariupol, another battle took shape in the Twittersphere. Ukraine and Kyiv’s official Twitter accounts leveraged their online platforms to win the war of public opinion by broadcasting the atrocities of war in real time, engaging with other countries as a form of digital public diplomacy, and rallying internal publics through nation building message strategies. The current study explores the use of government social media accounts during a unique period of armed conflict to identify various messaging strategies utilized to (1) communicate during a crisis event, (2) project itself favorably among an international audience, and (3) build a sense of national identity and unity among its citizenry. Results from this study suggest that public relations scholars should consider further analyzing the ways in which social media, nation building, and public diplomacy intersect during crisis events. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.
•Examines the intersection of social media, public diplomacy, and nation building during international crisis events.•Thematic analysis of data by two official Ukrainian government Twitter accounts from the start of the invasion.•Identifies message strategies by Ukraine and Kyiv social media accounts during a period of armed conflict with Russia.•Accounts used a combination of approaches to inform publics about and shape meaning around the ongoing crisis.•Practitioners must actively contribute to the discussion in real time so as to relay information quickly and efficiently.
The period of growing tensions between the United States and Russia (2013–2019) saw mutual accusations of digital interference, disinformation, fake news, and propaganda, particularly following the ...Ukraine crisis and the 2016 US presidential election. This article asks how the United States and Russia represent each other’s and their own propaganda, its threat, and power over audiences. We examine these representations in US and Russian policy documents and online articles from public diplomacy media Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) and RT. The way propaganda is framed, (de)legitimized, and securitized has important implications for public understanding of crises, policy responses, and future diplomacy. We demonstrate how propaganda threats have become a major part of the discourse about the US–Russia relationship in recent years, prioritizing state-centred responses and disempowering audiences.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, ODKLJ, OILJ, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
The Eurovision Song Contest is officially a non-political event but has nevertheless been a useful tool for participating nations’ public and cultural diplomacy strategies. While Eurovision’s ...diplomatic utility for states is subject to much scholarly attention, little attention has been paid to how fans and audiences participate actively in these processes as political agents and actors. Drawing upon the frameworks of public diplomacy and participatory culture, this article puts forth the portmanteau concept of ‘participatory diplomacy’ to explain and explore how Eurovision illuminates a particular intersection of public diplomacy and participatory culture wherein the audience actively participates in its cultural platform to shape its political message and meaning.
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