Sakamoto Takuto, Araki Momoko, Ito Hiroto, Matsuoka Tomoyuki
Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan.
Institute for Digital Observatory, University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan.
Front Big Data. 2024 Apr 8;7:1304806. doi: 10.3389/fdata.2024.1304806. eCollection 2024.
This article investigates the evolving landscape of diplomacy in the digital age, focusing on diplomats at the United Nations (UN) Headquarters in New York. The central inquiry revolves around how diplomatic actors use digital tools to complement or augment traditional face-to-face diplomacy.
We systematically compare a substantial corpus of X posts (tweets) from UN diplomats with their public statements at the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), employing advanced computational social science techniques. This study applies a range of large-scale text analysis methods, including word embedding, topic modeling, and sentiment analysis, to investigate systematic differences between offline and online communication.
Our analysis reveals that, while the essence of diplomacy remains consistent across both domains, there is strategic selectivity in the use of online platforms by diplomats. Online communication emphasizes non-security topics, ceremonial matters, and prominent policy stances, in contrast to the operational issues common in UNSC deliberations. Additionally, online discourse adopts a less confrontational, more public diplomacy-oriented tone, with variations among countries.
This study offers one of the first systematic comparisons between offline and online diplomatic messages. It illuminates how diplomats navigate the digital realm to complement traditional roles. The findings indicate that some elements of public diplomacy and nation branding, directed toward a wider audience far beyond the council chamber, have become an integral part of multilateral diplomacy unfolding at the UNSC.
本文探讨数字时代外交格局的演变，重点关注纽约联合国总部的外交官。核心问题围绕外交行为体如何利用数字工具来补充或增强传统的面对面外交。
我们运用先进的计算社会科学技术，系统地比较了联合国外交官的大量X帖子（推文）与其在联合国安理会（UNSC）的公开声明。本研究应用了一系列大规模文本分析方法，包括词嵌入、主题建模和情感分析，以调查线下和线上交流之间的系统差异。
我们的分析表明，虽然外交的本质在两个领域保持一致，但外交官在使用在线平台时有战略选择性。与安理会审议中常见的操作问题相比，在线交流强调非安全议题、礼仪事项和突出的政策立场。此外，在线话语采用了不那么对抗、更面向公共外交的语气，各国之间存在差异。
本研究首次对线下和线上外交信息进行了系统比较。它阐明了外交官如何在数字领域中发挥作用以补充传统角色。研究结果表明，面向安理会会议厅之外更广泛受众的公共外交和国家品牌塑造的一些要素，已成为在安理会展开多边外交的一个组成部分。
