Role and Impact of Social Media in Advancing Foreign Policy Interests of Host States: Case Study of Kenya

Abstract

Advancements in technology and specifically social media have transformed how nations relate with each other and Kenya has not been left behind. The exchange of information between nations has shifted to the online sphere, thus changing the social, political and economic outlook across the world. Kenya like the rest of the world has advanced in digital communication platforms. This has made the connectivity in a world perspective more effective as mostly seen in global trade and other social-cultural interactions. There is no doubt that the internet considered as one of channel of communication has revolutionized the way people all over the world transact its business thus reducing the entire globe into a manageable global village. An estimated two billion people and above have the capacity to access social media platforms like Instagram, WhatsApp, Twitter and Facebook and on daily basis. Basically, no geographical boundaries extended to social media, and as long as a location has internet access, people can communicate as though they were in the same room, yet they could be thousands of miles apart. International organizations have jumped onto the bandwagon and taken advantage of social media to engage with other players on new policy spaces. It is with these developments that the new media has led to the rise of new concept referred to as digital diplomacy whereby crucial interactions between the representatives of sovereign states take place via online platforms.