Communication factors and functions of digital diplomacy

Abstract

The article presents the phenomenon of digital diplomacy as a new perspective direction of intercultural communications, which emerged as a result of digitalization and developed under the influence of the newest communication and pragmatic needs of a globalized society. The prerequisites of the phenomenon are revealed, its functional channels, communication principles, receptive features and probable risks are characterized. Digital diplomacy is conceptualized as a participatory communicative practice in which feedback is of paramount importance. The role of social networks as a channel of digital diplomacy, which determines its key communication features, is characterized. Particular attention is given to such forms of digital diplomacy as Facebook diplomacy and twiplomacy. Among the functions of digital diplomacy there is information, communication, phatic, image-creating and anti-crisis functions. The basic algorithms for communication in the digital diplomatic field: «state-citizens», «citizens-state», «state-state» is specified. It was stated that the broad discourse of digital diplomacy can cause not only productive interaction between actors of different status levels and cultures, but also lead to reputational damage through conflicting discursive practices and excessive populism, which distorts the multifaceted and complex foreign policy of states. The side effects of distorted diplomatic discourse include fake messages, commercially motivated appeals, and the leveling of the boundary between public and private discourse. It was concluded that digital diplomacy is a multi-vector communication activity, in which traditional forms of classical public diplomacy broadcast into the online plane with access to different target groups of virtual recipients.