Digital public diplomacy on Twitter? The case of @sweden
by Helen Hoffmann
International Journal of Diplomacy and Economy (IJDIPE), Vol. 2, No. 4, 2015

Abstract: The official Twitter account of Sweden is given to a different citizen every week, who is asked to share his/her view of Sweden. The project named 'Curators of Sweden' portrays itself as the country handing over the nation's Twitter account, thus making it an organ of the state. This study pursues the question of whether @sweden can be considered a form of digital diplomacy. Through media analysis and interviews with those involved, the study compares the theoretical demands on the account with the reality. We conclude that Curators of Sweden does not fulfil the criteria for a digital diplomacy but instead is part of well-concerted nation-branding. The usage of Twitter conveys a powerful meta-message of an innovative, open Swedish nation. On a general level, we argue that Twitter offers several benefits for public diplomacy but we also draw attention to the problems of representativeness and the digital divide.

Online publication date: Wed, 30-Dec-2015

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