International Telecommunications Union (ITU) estimates that approximately 5.3 billion people of the world’s population are using the Internet in 2022. Globalization and its attendants like technology has shrunk the distance between countries, political leaders and their citizens, giving rise to digital diplomacy which has escalated changes in 21st-century diplomacy. Now anything can be controlled with a single reach of an internet keyboard hence directly impacting the nature of global politics and political economy. The digital age with fast-changing media platforms populated by millions of users has accelerated and shaped domestic and international debates in the corridors of power today. The days when one could self-isolate from global issues are long gone as more content flows through social media than traditional sources of information dissemination. Nations cannot afford a back seat in participating in global decisions through digital tools.
Diplomacy has been utterly transformed over the past decades, with the increasing economic and social power of tech companies. Even though digital tools have changed the character of diplomacy and the manner of communicating in the diplomatic arena, there areboth risks and rewards. It’s up to nations to maximize opportunities presented by these new communication platforms to advance their domestic agenda while minimizing the risks that it presents altogether.
Digital diplomacy is a foreign policy essential enabling country to have the ability to gather and share information with wide audiences at unprecedented rates. This has created new opportunities for policy makers, leaders, and governments around the world to share messages and set political agendas beyond traditional channels. States have been allowed to address a wider network in international politics, and influence many actors such as international institutions, non-governmental organizations, ethnic groups, supranational movements, and even individuals. Nations are making sure their foreign policy agendas proactively keep pace with the velocity of technology development. While conventional forms of diplomacy still dominate both the domestic and foreign policy landscape, an increasing number of governments are utilizing technology as a new tool for communication, information gathering, and the promotion of values both at home and abroad.
The inception of selfie diplomacy which entails the use of social media to manage national images is now routinely practiced by foreign ministries around the world, clearly showing the power of digital tools as mediums for nation’s branding. A picture is worth a thousand words and this analogy can contribute to shaping and promoting a country’s image abroad. A positive image about human rights, democracy, and multiculturalism can increase a nation’s ability to attract foreign direct investments and multinational corporations. Former President Trump’s handshake with North Korea’s Leader Kim Jong-Un at the 2018 Singapore Summit sent a message as the world watched when the two men shook hands amidst tensions between their governments. The power of memes in modern diplomacy is also worth noting, as they deliver complex foreign policy messages in a very concise form, and corresponding geopolitical crises.
Unlike traditional diplomatic settings, digital communication operates in an environment where power over information flow is more anarchic making whatever goes viral out of the hands of politicians and diplomats which makes this kind of engagement risky. Digital diplomacy is also perceived to be under threat by an elite club of rich oligarchs like Elon Musk who are purchasing communication platforms. Musk has been revered as a light version of former President of the United States, Donald Trump with his happy-finger tweeting. His purchase of Twitter will most definitely, alter many pieces. Either he will push his interests or worse, ban a couple of things based on certain influences and this can arguably gag freedom of speech for which Musk claims to restore through Twitter acquisition. To some liberal mindset, Musk is a tech autocrat and to far right conservative, he depicts free speech – by allowing Twitter to remain a platform for free discussion without political bias skewed against conservative views. The future of Digital diplomacy is at stake with the spread of misinformation and disinformation online. Attempts to avert the vice through content moderation arguably has restricted free speech in somewhat ways. Considering these circumstances, what does this mean for diplomacy? Digital Diplomacy is likely to be impacted.
The digital age has also created some invisible enemies. The emergence of new threats centered around cybercrime, the use of technology as weapons of war – even in times of peace or in political conflicts, military combat, economic warfare, and intelligence operations. The unfortunate leaking of Kenya’s foreign ministry’s documents that contained email discussions of security preparations for diplomatic trips and trade deals by Online hackers linked to Anonymous group under Operation Africa clearly showed enormous threat on this new form of diplomacy and the insecurity threats it poses to governments.
The Geopolitical competition for cyberspace dominance and its use in times of peace to threaten other states is known to be one of the biggest threats to this kind of diplomacy and this has given rise to severe cross-border tensions among a multitude of actors over its control and regulation.
Digital diplomacy in the age of algorithms that are meant to tailor online experience by exposing users only to content that primarily confers with their opinions and beliefs has been challenged by these bubbles that limit the population on what they know about the world. This essentially can also limit diplomats in pursuit of their diplomatic goals punctuated by algorithms dictating their patterns of thoughts, activities, and audiences.
Diplomats need to re-orientate themselves quickly to ride the technological wave or will be rendered obsolete. The speed at which diplomatic services were altered and amplified when COVID-19 swept in showed how diplomacy has transformed with the emergence of technology. Even though traditional diplomacy will remain relevant in the future, advancing the key role digitalization plays in global relations is a million-dollar question. The key question remains: To what extent will diplomatic actors be able to reap the benefits of digital revolution to enhance its effectiveness in the digital age?
Evelyne Atuhairwe – is a Researcher with the Centre for Multilateral Affairs
