Interview: Jon White - Honorary Professor, Cardiff University School of Journalism, Media and Cultural Studies
What would be appropriate content on social media for diplomats?
Social media can be used as channels for communication to support the achievement of diplomatic initiatives. Appropriate content would be relevant to initiatives, events, announcements of importance to audiences which can be reached through social media. Their chararcteristics would be understood over time – for example, who makes up the group following a diplomatic source.
For diplomats in your opinion what could be biggest social media failure?
Several possibilities:
failure to monitor social media content to recognize material that might give rise to diplomatic difficulties
inappropriate use of social media to launch major initiatives, or replace other, more effective approaches, to diplomatic communication, such as patient, private face-to-face communication
How to deal with negative comments and feedbacks on social networks?
As far as possible, planning should allow for reaction in social networks and negative comments should be anticipated and argued against in early entry into social networks. Unanticipated negative comments should be responded to honestly and in full as soon as they emerge. Failure to respond in this way will in all likelihood compound the effectives of negative comments.
What is the most important thing on social media that diplomats have to pay attention?
Sensitivity to social media commentary and willingness to respond thoroughly and quickly.
Could social media be an effective tool for diplomacy? How?
Social media are seen as effective as tools in diplomacy. Foreign affairs departments of government devote increasing resources to use of social media in diplomacy. Their use has implications for the exercise of soft power and also as support for the use of hard power, in what has been described as ‘hybrid warfare.
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