A diplomacia digital e o uso das mídias sociais: uma análise da atuação do Instituto de Políticas Públicas em Direitos Humanos do MERCOSUL

Abstract

Previously, if it was exclusive to national states, their embassies, diplomatic corps and official institutions abroad, today contemporary diplomacy faces a moment of change against the emergence of new actors and their ability to influence the international agenda. Much of what is new in diplomatic practice can be attributed to the emergence of the Internet, which over the past twenty years has displaced the digital scope as the primary means of exchanging and interacting globally with information. Then, network diplomacy started to be adopted not only by States but above all, by International Organizations, which through social networking sites can share information, raise public awareness, communicate with other actors and with the public, and engage with their image. At the same time, several challenges are faced due to inequality in the availability of resources. The analysis of the profile of the Institute of Public Policies on Human Rights of MERCOSUR, in the first four years of using Twitter, showed that the institution has improved and used more and more digital tools, mainly as a way of producing engagement. Despite the evolution, the search for innovation and sufficient resources is still necessary, since digital interactions are fast and immediate.