Enhancing the Philippines' National Image through Digital Public Diplomacy : A Case Study of the Instagram Account of the Philippine Embassy in Seoul

국문 초록 (Abstract)

소셜 미디어를 활용한 디지털 공공외교에 대한 학문적, 실무적 관심이 증가하고 있음에도 불구하고, 선행 연구는 유럽과 미국 등 선진국의 디지털 공공외교 활용 사례를 중점으로 이루어졌다. 본 연구는 개발도상국이 선진국 국민을 대상으로 수행하는 디지털 공공외교의 효과를 분석함으로써 선행 연구의 공백을 메우고자 한다. 구체적으로, 주한 필리핀 대사관 인스타그램 게시물이 한국인이 가진 필리핀 국가이미지에 어떤 영향을 주는지를 분석한다. 이를 위하여 인스타그램 게시물 내용 분석을 통해 주한 필리핀 대사관의 디지털 공공외교 메시지를 크게 청취 (Listening), 문화 (Culture), 옹호 (Advocacy) 세 그룹으로 분류하고, 각 그룹에 속하는 게시물 세 가지를 한국인 조사 참가자에게 무작위로 보여주는 설문 실험을 진행하였다. 주요 연구 결과는 이와 같은 디지털 공공외교가 필리핀 국가이미지 향상에 긍정적인 역할을 한다는 점이다. 특히 대사관이 한국인의 의견을 적극 청취하고 있음을 강조하는 메시지가 국가 이미지 제고에 가장 효과적인 것으로 나타났다. 본 연구의 결과는 디지털 공공외교 분야에서 중요한 학문적, 정책적 함의를 갖는다.

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

Despite the increasing scholarly and practical attention to digital public diplomacy via social media, most existing studies focus on its use by Western, developed countries in Europe and the US. This research seeks to fill this gap in the literature by examining digital public diplomacy conducted by a developing country targeting the public of a developed country. Specifically, we theorize and empirically investigate how Instagram posts by the Philippine Embassy in South Korea might influence the national image of the Philippines among the Korean public. Building upon information gathered through content analysis and semi-structured interviews, we design and conduct an original survey experiment where Korean respondents are randomly exposed to various Instagram posts by the Philippine Embassy in Seoul. Our findings reveal that the Embassy's digital diplomacy can effectively cultivate a positive image of the Philippines among Koreans. Moreover, the 'listening' element of public diplomacy proves to be the most impactful in enhancing the national image. These results have significant academic and policy implications within the realm of digital diplomacy.

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