Abstract
With the digitalization of television broadcasting, an audience-oriented, modular, interactive, thematic, and mobilized broadcasting approach has become established. This new broadcasting approach attracts the attention of consumers with its advantages such as low subscription fees, language and subtitle support, ease of access and use, downloading and recording. Naturally, the number of platforms operating in the field of digital broadcasting is increasing and the content on these platforms is diversifying. On the other hand, these platforms serve as a kind of bridge for public diplomacy practices, and in this respect, they attract the attention of public diplomacy actors. Because these platforms—even if the user/viewer is not aware of it—are the means and mediators of the universal circulation of (national) culture, they are a component of public diplomacy.
TopIntroduction
The emergence of public diplomacy due to the inadequacy of traditional diplomacy methods in international relations is being redefined in parallel with the development of information and communication technologies. In the digital age, a number of social media platforms such as Facebook, YouTube and Twitter have opened new doors for individuals/audiences to align with agendas beyond their borders. It has also enabled states and nonstate actors to present their diplomacy activities to large audiences and develop new public diplomacy strategies (Connoly-Ahern & Ma, 2015). This has paved the way for the emergence of the concept of digital diplomacy, which is defined as any diplomatic activity conducted by states and non-state actors on the internet and especially on social media. Digital diplomacy, which means the visibility and activity of foreign ministries and offices, foreign missions, non-governmental organizations operating on behalf of the state, national aid organizations, development and cooperation agencies in online environments, is predominantly carried out on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Nevertheless, it should not be forgotten that the internet is a universe that opens up unlimited space for action and enables the establishment of unlimited platform(s) to meet different consumption preferences. It is possible to access a wide range of content in this universe such as various forms of e-commerce, e-books, e-encyclopedias, blogs, movies, music videos, thousands of different kinds of videos, social media networks, digital animations, 3D movie models (Çakır, 2014). Digital television broadcasting platforms are also an element of the internet universe and it should not be disregarded that they play a role in public diplomacy processes as well as media that fulfill the need for entertainment/consumption.
Key Terms in this Chapter
Netflix: Is an American subscription streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded on August 29, 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a film and television series library through distribution deals as well as its own productions, known as Netflix Originals.
Digital Broadcasting: Is the practice of using digital signals rather than analogue signals for broadcasting over radio frequency bands. Digital television broadcasting (especially satellite television) is widespread. Digital audio broadcasting is being adopted more slowly for radio broadcasting where it is mainly used in Satellite radio.Digital links, thanks to the use of data compression, generally have greater spectral efficiency than analog links. Content providers can provide more services or a higher-quality signal than was previously available. It is estimated that the share of digital broadcasting increased from 7% of the total amount of broadcast information in 2000, to 25% in 2007. Some countries have completed a Digital television transition.
Public Diplomacy: In international relations, public diplomacy or people's diplomacy, broadly speaking, is any of the various government-sponsored efforts aimed at communicating directly with foreign publics to establish a dialogue designed to inform and influence with the aim that this foreign public supports or tolerates a government's strategic objectives.
Digital Diplomacy: Also referred to as Digiplomacy and eDiplomacy (see below), has been defined as the use of the Internet and new information communication technologies to help achieve diplomatic objectives. However, other definitions have also been proposed. The definition focuses on the interplay between internet and diplomacy, ranging from Internet driven-changes in the environment in which diplomacy is conducted to the emergence of new topics on diplomatic agendas such as cybersecurity, privacy and more, along with the use of internet tools to practice diplomacy.
Modern Diplomacy: Does not fall into the traditional mold. Modern diplomacy has evolved into a modern mold with, in many re spects, changed norms of behavior. The traditional definition of diplomacy as the conduct of foreign affairs of a sovereign nation really no longer applies. Diplomacy is not simply the process by which nations deal with each other; the role of the diplomat is no longer simply to represent his sovereign in the court of another sovereign. Diplomacy has now become so related to foreign policy and to the process of foreign policymaking that the diplomat is as much involved in the foreign policy process as he is in the process of conducting foreign relations. And in the fullest sense, the foreign policy process that we follow today which is reflected in the practice of modern diplomacy - includes the formulation of policy decisions that affect the direction the country is going to take and the implementation of those aspects of the national interest that are involved with our relations with other nations.
Soft Power: In politics (and particularly in international politics), is the ability to co-opt rather than coerce (contrast hard power). In other words, soft power involves shaping the preferences of others through appeal and attraction. A defining feature of soft power is that it is non-coercive; the currency of soft power includes culture, political values, and foreign policies. In 2012, Joseph Nye of Harvard University explained that with soft power, “the best propaganda is not propaganda”, further explaining that during the Information Age, “credibility is the scarcest resource”.
Diplomacy: Is the art and science of maintaining peaceful relationships between nations, groups, or individuals. Often, diplomacy refers to representatives of different groups discussing such issues as conflict, trade, the environment, technology, or security. People who practice diplomacy are called diplomats.
Digital Publishing: It means using online technology to digitize print material and disseminate it through electronic devices. Content developers, readers, and viewers alike are moving away from traditional publishing methods and relying more often on digital publishing because of print media’s limitations. For businesses, this may be a longer publishing process, or, for readers, decreased ease of access to content or information. Compared to old-school publishing methods, digital publishing has immense benefits, such as: Attracting a Larger Audience, Fixing Mistakes Easily, Engaging Your Target Audience.