The Role of Social Media Influencers in Public Diplomacy and Relationship Building with Foreign Publics

Abstract

Partnering with social media influencers (SMIs) has extended to nearly all sectors, including nation branding and public diplomacy. However, limited research has focused on how influencers negotiate their identities and formulate strategies to communicate with international audiences. This study conducted in-depth interviews with 12 Korean SMIs targeting Chinese audiences to investigate the role of individual SMIs in public diplomacy. Specifically, it examines how SMIs collaborate with the government and negotiate their national identity to interact and build relationships with foreign publics. Our findings show that SMIs consider five communication elements: the characteristics of the speaker, listeners, messages, channels, and contexts when creating their content strategy. These findings underscore the importance of mutuality and reciprocity, highlighting that understanding the cultural and social contexts of the target audiences’ country is crucial. Including cultural exchange messages increases audiences’ perceived authenticity of the message and amplifies the impact of international influencers’ strategic communication in public diplomacy. The findings are discussed in relation to advancing the role of SMIs in public diplomacy and relationship building with foreign publics.

Keywords: Social media influencers, Strategic Communication, Public Diplomacy, relationship building, foreign public, International Communication