diplomacy and foreign relations in the social media age: by nalaka gunawardene - 14 nov 2015

nalakagunawardene.com

Diplomacy & Foreign Relations

in the Social Media Age

Talk by By Nalaka Gunawardene

Science Writer & New Media Researcher Course on Creative Diplomacy

Regional Centre for Strategic Studies (RCSS)Colombo: 14 Nov 2015



New Media and Society:My own approach as… New Media watcher and analyst since

early 1990s (writing as science journalist) Chronicling and critiquing mobile phones’

& Internet’s impact on Lankan society, culture, economy and politics

Researching rise & impact of digital technologies on Lankan media

Contributing Editor, Digital Review of Asia regional review publication (2003-2009)



Dedication to an Esteemed Mentor:Dr Harlan Cleveland (1918-2008) US diplomat, journalist,

educator and scholar Asst Secy of State (for Int Orgs),

1961-65 JFK Administration US Ambassador to NATO, 1965-

69 Founding dean, University of

Minnesota's Hubert H. Humphrey Inst of Public Affairs



Anticipating Info & Comm Tech (ICT) impact on society, politics Quick to anticipate the implications

of information revolution predicted arrival of the knowledge

worker in the global marketplace. Believed "flexible, uncentralized

systems work best," whether that system is a govt, business or charity

Washington Post obit (6 June 2008)http://goo.gl/aUcQGb



Cleveland, 65, meets IBM… 1983 (aged 65): At an IBM store in

Minneapolis, a young clerk asks: "You're not buying this for you, are you, sir?"

"He proceeded to buy everything in the store, and became a philosopher of what it meant to have all this information flowing around the world.“- daughter, Melantha Clevelandhttp://goo.gl/aUcQGb



The Knowledge Executive: Leadership in an Information Age Pub: 1985 (5 years before WWW) Info revolution would make it

impossible for leaders & “experts” to hoard information.

Leadership would increasingly “bubble up” from new sources rather than trickle down from established leaders

Change nature of diplomacy & trade forever



Traditional structures vs. Web 2.0 structures

FormalClear Hierarchy

Tries to maintain traditionsExclusive clubs

Rigid entry barriersPersonal profile (age, education,

gender, wealth, etc.) mattersStrong relationships

Long term relationshipsStrict exit barriers

Informal“The world is flat”“Break all traditions!!”‘Open door’ groupingsFlexible entry barriersEverybody wins the same respectWeak relationshipsLong or short term relationshipsFlexible exit barriers

Courtesy: Chanuka Wattegama


Evolution of World Wide Web1990 - 2015


Social Media: Billions of conversations, 24/7

Online media with 2 key characteristics: conversations Collaborations between

users who maybe anywhere May involve any or all of this:digital words/sounds/images, video/combination


SM: A highly diverse, fast-evolvingand dynamic ‘ecosystem’


nalakagunawardene.comhttp://wearesocial.net/blog/2015/08/global-statshot-august-2015/


Social media: Many categories/functions Networking Collaborating Blogging/microblogging Image sharing Video sharing Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) Combination of above Other

nalakagunawardene.comhttp://wearesocial.net/blog/2015/08/global-statshot-august-2015/


Social Media: Key qualities in interactions No permissions: open expression of

ideas, no authorisations needed! Short: few words; many abbreviations,

emoti-cons & images used Spontaneous: inspired by what’s

current locally/globally Relaxed & easy going: not formal, stiff

or deferential (no Holy Cows here!) Fleeting: much of it transient (but can

be aggregated, analysed & data-mined)nalakagunawardene.com


Mapping cyberspace connections…

Visualising Facebook friendships: Map by Paul Butler, Dec 2010http://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=469716398919


How are ICTs and social media changing foreign relations?


“The key to successful foreign policy in today’s world is networked diplomacy. Managing international crises requires mobilizing international networks of public and private actors.” – Anne-Marie Slaughter, former Princeton Academic and ex-Dir of Policy Planning, US State Dept

This interconnected world is increasingly relying on social media!


Social Media and Foreign Relations:Diplomacy in a Networked World

Multiple terror attacks in Paris on 13 Nov 2015 night France in Emergency mode. Govts & people expressSolidarity…


Gérard Araud, France’s Ambassador to the US, tweeted as multiple terror attacks unfolded in Paris on Nov 13 night


Shares breaking news repts;

Reacts to unfolding media coverage;

Thanks the public…


Diplomacy in the Global Village Events unfold 24/7 TV news networks & web cover them

almost in real time Govt spokespersons, incl diplomats,

now have to respond at same speed Diplomacy on the run: no time for

checking with centres of power Gaffes can and do happen!


Diplomacy 2.0 UNTIL RECENTLY:“Club Diplomacy” based on a small

number of players a highly hierarchical

structure Closed, written

communications low public transparency

UNFOLDING NOW:“Network Diplomacy” based on a much larger

number of players (particularly of civil society)

a flatter structure a more significant oral

component greater transparency.


Foreign Relations fast-tracked 1980: CNN launched 1985: CNN International First Gulf War: Aug 1990-Feb 1991 CNN Effect: News channel just reporting,

but also INFLUENCING some events

‘CNN is the 16th member of the (UN) Security Council.’– UN Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali.


Move over CNN,Enter digitally-armed citizens! As social media spreads:

more citizens capture unfolding events, comment, share and agitate

Socio-political experiment! Real-Time Diplomacy: Politics

and Power in the Social Media Era


http://twiplomacy.com


Twiplomacy: The Good and Bad“Overall, Twiplomacy helps reduce barriers between (foreign) policymakers and those affected by policy. This is useful, but it profoundly alters the DNA of diplomacy, and that deserves far more study than it has so far received.”- Philip Seib, Professor of Journalism and Public Diplomacy, University of Southern California, USA. In 2012


Philip Seib on Twiplomacy… Govts remain hierarchic in structure,

and often do not recognize the paths that information may take and the transformations that may occur to it within networks

Govts using Twiplomacy need to better understand where their information is going. Only with that knowledge can policymakers comprehend the effects their social-media products may have.


Diplomacy’s boundaries extended

“One of the most powerful tools of networked diplomacy…is the existence of strong, vibrant and successful diaspora communities spread across the influential countries of the world today.” - Ramesh Thakur, Professor, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University (ANU)


Twiplomacy Top 20 Twitterati:April 2015

http://twiplomacy.com/blog/the-twiplomacy-top-twenty-twitterati/


http://twiplomacy.com/blog/twiplomacy-study-2015/


Diplomacy 2.0 advancing in 2015 During Iran talks in Lausanne in March/April 2015,

Twitter was preferred social media channel for all negotiating parties to update media + public state of the negotiations.

Twitter was essential to spread historic handshake between Barack Obama and Cuban President Raul Castro at 7th Summit of the Americas in Panama in April 2015

In April 2015 former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton chose exclusively Twitter and YouTube to announce her 2016 presidential bid.


https://www.opencanada.org/indepth/twitter-and-diplomacy/

“State leaders and diplomats are in the process of negotiating a working relationship with social media. There’s a lot on the table – a variety of tools and platforms, each with their own advantages and limitations, and a range of actors using them to connect. Twitter is proving to be the most contentious negotiating point – how to use it most effectively, and to what end…”


New media reality:A rude awakening to some govts! Social media demands transparency. Officials cannot have total control

over info flows Politicians & diplomats have to be

flexible, fast, and nimble to easily adapt to new technologies.

Success needs public trust, good judgment, and quick thinking for rapid response and crisis management


Case study:India’s MEA using Twitter July 2010: MEA becomes India’s first

govt entity to use Twitter as part of its communications strategy.

Feb 2011: Nirupama Rao (Foreign Sec) 1st senior Indian diplomat using Twitter for official use

March 2011: Twitter played a crucial role in rescue of 18,000 Indians trapped in deteriorating Libya


India’s MEA using Twitter… MEA used Twitter to communicate

timely info about evacuation schedule (air and sea) from Tripoli, Alexandria, Benghazi & elsewhere

300+ official tweets kept the trapped Indians updated of plans and progress over a few weeks


Source: PPT by Navdeep Suri, MEA. 12 May 2012http://www.slideshare.net/CiscoIndia/public-diplomacy-soft-power-and-new-media


India’s twitter use during Libya evacuations… “A useful case study in the utility of social media

tools in connecting the government with people who are normally well outside their range, but who can be a useful channel to send out time-urgent critical information and to receive equally valuable information from sources on the ground.”

Effective diplomacy in the age of social media by Ramesh Thakur, The Japan Times, 12 June 2012.http://goo.gl/jXVNiq


Indian MEA reacts to Fukushima triple disaster, 11 March 2011


@NMenonRao Retired, still has large following…


Unresolved issues… Are SM remarks strictly official? Who really “owns” social media followers

acquired by high profile diplomats or other senior officials during office?

Do they get to “take followers” and move on to other postings or retirement?

What policies should govts adopt on officials tweeting and Facebooking?


Undiplomatic tweet? How else to respond to such provocation?

Just after Charlie Hebdo shooting in January 2015


Sri Lanka: networked, chatty and coming to terms with social media!

Map by TeleGeography. http://www.submarinecablemap.com


Internet Use in Sri Lanka (1996-2014)

Source: Telecom Regulatory Commission of Sri Lanka (TRCSL)

0

2,00,000

4,00,000

6,00,000

8,00,000

10,00,000

12,00,000

14,00,000

16,00,000

18,00,000

20,00,000

1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 Mar

I & E-mail

Mobile BB


Internet coverage and influence spreading in Sri Lanka

22-25% of LK pop using web 82% thru mobile devices National (Fibre-optic)

Backbone Network being laid by Sri Lanka Telecom: will cover all 329 admin divisions within 5 years (by 2018)

Map from: http://www.slt.lk



Sri Lanka’s Facebook connections mapped: 2015

http://www.facebookstories.com/stories/1574/#color=continent&story=1&country=LK


Sri Lanka: Facebook ‘brands’ with highest No of followers (14 Nov 2015)

http://www.socialbakers.com/statistics/facebook/pages/total/sri-lanka/


As at 14 Nov 2015



LK: Top Political Pages on FB


As at 14 Nov 2015


In Sri Lanka, maligning and demonising Facebook is common! Social media still new, unfamiliar Global platforms = ‘foreign’ Looked upon by many people and

some media with suspicion Some blame social ills (suicides,

child abuse, etc) on social media Those who never use social

media are quick to condemn it!



Govts concerned: can SM be used for ‘political subversion’?

Daily News, 22 May 2014


As Social Media use increases, some challenges arise… Hate speech on SM spread of racial,

religious & other abuse (easy to share) Anonymity/psendonymity means users can &

do express without much/any restraint SM addiction social & psychiatric problems

for some (not all) individuals Identity theft: growing problem in LK FB

account hijacking is 70% of all complaints received by authorities (CERT/Police Dept)



My response to Social Media (SM)ethical challenges… Don’t blame the platform! Study and reflect more: need social

science research to understand what is going on, how & why

Generalisations not possible, nor good Misuses always get disproportionately high

publicity distorts total picture Let us NOT throw SM ‘baby’ out with

bathwater!nalakagunawardene.com


LK Foreign Minister on Twitter: But not active enough…


An Ambassador of Sri Lanka who tweets!


LK Foreign Ministry SpokespersonWarming up to social media!


Watch this Space…Email:[email protected]:http://nalakagunawardene.com Open on Twitter (5,550+): @NalakaGRestricted to less than 500 on Facebook:www.facebook.com/nalaka.gunawardene
