The Use of Social Media in Public Diplomacy:A Case Study of the (FDRE) Ethiopia Diplomatic Missions
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Date
2017-06
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Addis Ababa University
Abstract
A study on the use of social media in public diplomacy: a case study of the (FDRE) Ethiopia diplomatic missions’ facebook use. The general objective of this study is to investigate the use of social media tools in Ethiopia’s public diplomacy. The study investigated what communication strategy is primarily used by Ethiopian missions, the roles of social media presence of the missions play in the public diplomacy efforts of the Ministry of Foreign Affair, and what opportunities and challenges the missions face by using social media in public diplomacy. Public diplomacy, social media and dialogue theory have been used to comprehend and analysed this study. The study has employed qualitative methods at data gathering and analysis levels. The results of this study suggest that there is a need for improvement in the dialogic communication strategy on the missions’ social media. At the moment, it seems that the Ethiopian missions use social media rather as traditional media, than utilizing the potential for creating dialogue. Thus, the strategies of the Communication Grid were applicable in the social media communication of the missions but not fully taken advantage of. Social media is used by the missions mainly for information and persuasion strategies. The opportunities the missions get are to disseminate and gather information, the reachable of various target audiences, the effectiveness of the social media in terms of cost and time, there is a room to start two way communications with followers, to promote their country and to attract youth who are active user of social media. In addition to that the study identifies the challenges the missions are facing, abusive comments and messages from some unethical audiences, the lack of sufficient time and resources, lack of legal environment and lack of social media strategy.
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Ethiopia Diplomatic Missions