Digitalization of Public Diplomacy

Abstract

How do the countries of Southeast Asia capitalize on digitalization of public diplomacy in terms of nation branding? This chapter elaborates on the theoretical concept of public diplomacy and applies it to the context of member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), which is a swath of 10 very heterogeneous and yet under-researched countries. The objective of this chapter is to characterize sundry approaches to public diplomacy through the concept of nation branding as the main tool in connection to the use of social media. The results of this chapter exemplify the most distinctive differences so that the countries could be classified and further divided into two main groups, one symbolized by a high degree of development and use of digitalization versus a group of latecomers. Vietnam and the Philippines represent boundary examples due to its slowdown or improvement, respectively of public diplomacy and digitalization. None of the examined Southeast Asian countries, however, has fully expanded on the concept of nation branding on social media.