Media Diplomacy in the Age of Social Networks: Understanding Diplomatic Engagement in Cyberspace

This lecture is part of the CAS Dean's Lecture Series.

Speaker: Dr. Mohammad Ayish, Head and Professor, AUS Department of Mass Communication

This lecture discusses the emerging concept ofsocial/digital diplomacy as an integral component of the broader publicdiplomacy tradition. This new form ofpublic diplomacy draws on multiple areas of knowledge such as politics,sociology, communication, mathematics, culture, anthropology and psychology tocreate and sustain favorable engagement in cyberspace. By practicing socialdiplomacy, state leaders and diplomats are virtually engaging in a unique formof diplomacy that draws on strategic thinking, creative communications and dataanalytics. A conceptual framework for social/digital diplomatic engagement willbe proposed to address issues like public diplomacy, soft power, nationbranding and social networking. Such a framework would be helpful in providingappropriate knowledge pertaining to our understanding of social diplomacy andfurnishing concrete insights into how diplomats could harness virtual space tooptimize their nations' strategic foreign policy goals.

For more information, contact aissa@aus.edu.