The New Nature of Cultural Diplomacy in the Age of Online Communication

Abstract

Countries undertake different actions to improve international image in order to benefit politically, economically, culturally, etc. This is made through actions of public diplomacy, where cultural diplomacy is an important dimension. It doesn’t use media as mediating channel, but communication with foreign public is carried through different exchanges, visits, tourism, diaspora, etc. This makes communication more reliable than information and influencing foreign public through media. However, lately, online communication through different platforms, where people from different cultures and countries exchange messages, has also changed the nature of traditional cultural diplomacy. This enables creating an image for their country or receiving an image for another country, whereas on the other hand and simultaneously this makes communication with the foreign public more complex and unmanageable.

Keywords: culture, cultural diplomacy, intercultural communication, image, online communication