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Padrão de Resposta
As the playing field changes quickly, more information is produced and diplomats have to decide if they will keep it as a secret or share it. Even though confidentiality is still relevant, almost all diplomatic information is available to the public. Additionally, diplomats need to collaborate in digital networks, in which rules are different and information moves fast. While working in a network, diplomats are evaluated according to the information they know. Moreover, they trust their network.
When it comes to social media, some political authorities use Twitter as a diplomatic tool, while others do not know how to properly express themselves via “Twiplomacy”. Social media expose diplomats by informing their routines and allow leaders to promote their “digital personality”. Since it is still the beginning of the digital age, adjustments are necessary. In social media, personal speeches affect professional ambitions. According to the author, diplomats might keep focusing on their professional network. However, social media can be used in several forms. One can be active and talk to other people, while conservative diplomats want to passively observe ad find out information in a quick way, as an intelligence officer would do.
In this new scenario, diplomats no longer need to indicate the Information and Communication Department (DVL) when answering the media. Currently, people at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs are freer to speak, as information flows openly. If they make mistakes and recognize it, this will not be as negative to their careers as it was before, when diplomats were conservative regarding informing the media. Moreover, it is now more important to define what needs to be a secret, instead of what can be said.
In this digital world, traditional countries act well, but so do other nations, such as Estonia, India, Kosovo, and South Korea. As information becomes more relevant, modern diplomacy promotes new experiences in networks. Research, collaborations, explanations and negotiations benefit from digitalization, but this reality is a challenge that will be discussed not only by businessmen but also by governments, even though only a few nations take this general approach currently, since many states are not capable of doing so. Digital transformation demands focus and thoughts about how technology can efficient and useful.