Social media transforms diplomatic crisis communication

A study examines how social media is fundamentally altering the communication practices of diplomatic missions, particularly during crisis situations. The research explores the tension between traditional diplomatic discretion and the demands of the digital public sphere, where real-time pressure and interactive dialogue often replace controlled messaging and confidentiality.

Based on qualitative research involving representatives from the Austrian Foreign Ministry and the German, Austrian, and Bosnian-Herzegovinian embassies in Bern, the findings suggest that media logic affects institutions differently. The impact depends on the specific phase of mediatization, the institution's self-conception, and its position on the adaptation-adoption spectrum. The study concludes that the tension between privacy and public visibility is perceived uniquely by each diplomatic mission based on its institutional position.