Examining How Influencers of Social Networks Affect Public Diplomacy

Subject Areas : INTERCULTURAL STUDIES QUARTERLY

rahmat hajimineh ¹ , Rasoul Mahmoodi yamin ²

1 - Associate Professor in International Relations, East Tehran Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran
2 - MA in Communication, University of IRIB, Tehran, Iran.

Received: 2022-12-01 Accepted : 2023-06-17 Published : 2023-09-21

Keywords: culture, State, Public Diplomacy, Social networks, Influencer,

Abstract :

The purpose of this research is to investigate and understand how social network influencers affect public diplomacy. Since the development of social networks has caused the growth of communication between different people and groups in various formats and forms such as social network influencers and meanwhile, few researches about the role of these influencers have been done in public diplomacy, therefore, it is necessary to investigate the role of social network influencers in public diplomacy with regard to their special characteristics and the impact they have beyond the defined nation-states. For this reason, this research seeks to answer the main question, how do the phenomenon of social media influencers affect the public diplomacy of countries? Using the qualitative method and inductive reasoning, this research has investigated examples of the role of influencers in public diplomacy in order to know the areas and dimensions of their influence. In this regard, the main hypothesis of the article is that the influencers of social networks, due to their access to a large audience, the production of original and new content, as well as the connection with different social areas, and their specialized entry into various topics in addition to friendly communication, they have a major impact on the simplification of public diplomacy on one hand, and they have been a fundamental factor in the expansion of public diplomacy to various topics and areas on the other hand.

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