Digital Diplomacy Rhetoric: International Policy Frame Transformations in Diplomatic Discourse (The case study of the UK digital diplomacy)

Abstract

The research explores the UK digital diplomacy through rhetorical lenses of the European discourse on cultural agenda. The paper utilizes frame analysis to investigate the nature and objectives of digital diplomacy in the political context of the UK. The study argues that the UK as a part of the European Community successfully employs in its diplomatic discourse five rhetorical policy frames developed and promoted by UNESCO and European Commission. These frames help the UK to identify its own diplomatic goals with the international priorities of cultural development and, as a result, aid the country to project its positive image to the outside world. These policy frames include: preservation of cultural heritage, access to creative content, protection of cultural diversity, strengthening intercultural dialogue, as well as fostering development and the creative economy. The study reveals that despite the interactive and participative potential of digital diplomacy to facilitate cross-cultural cooperation, the UK digital diplomacy hardly goes beyond traditional cultural promotion. Cultural diplomacy, digital media, European Commission, UNESCO, UK