Abstract

Social media is the most important innovation of internet over the past decade. It has quickly penetrated into and spread over various social fields, and brought about changes. The U.S. government timely raises the importance of the social media as one of national strategic assets, and makes full use of it at the level of strategy and policy. As to diplomacy, the U.S. departments and agencies of foreign affairs engage in major international social media, and the diplomatic missions engage in the popular social media in host countries, to collect the public opinion information, to explain the policy intent, to seek the understanding and support, to shape the positive and credible image, to promote the spirit and values of the United States, and to influence the public opinion and policy of the host country. The Obama administration has increased the use of social media to implement public diplomacy in cyberspace, making important progress in the layout in key countries and popular social media, while its validity is restrained by the internet users’ structure, behavior characteristics and Internet censorship.

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