Social Media Diplomacy in Foreign Policy Decision-Making in Kenya

The social media is an essential tool for bringing people together globally. The social media helps shape perspectives both domestically and abroad. Social media diplomacy is an important tool in winning over local and international masses in this era of globalization, with its increased international dependence and competitiveness. Therefore, this study sought to determine the role of social media diplomacy in foreign policy decision-making in Kenya. The specific objectives of the study were to: assess the effect of social media diplomacy on foreign policy decision-making in Kenya; examine the effect of public opinion in social media diplomacy on foreign policy decision-making in Kenya; explore challenges faced in the use of social media diplomacy in promoting foreign policy decision-making in Kenya. The theoretical framework involves the public sphere theory and the agenda-setting theory. For this investigation, a cross-sectional descriptive research approach was used. The target population of the study was 46 respondents (37 staff members from each department from the four directorates in the ministry of foreign affairs and international trade and 9 from the three selected TV stations). Purposive sampling was used for this study. The understanding of the particular subject of this research relied on qualitative data. For in-depth data collection, an interview guide was used to gather primary data while existing publications were used to collect secondary data. The qualitative data that was collected using the interview guide was analyzed using content analysis. The analysis adopted a manual thematic analysis method in the coding of the data collected. A narration format was used to present qualitative data. The narration format allows for direct quotations from the study participants. The study found that Kenya has embraced social media diplomacy and has been using social media to pass and receive information from the public. The study also revealed that public opinion is a significant factor in promoting foreign policy decision making, particularly in the era of social media diplomacy. The study identified challenges of social media diplomacy in promoting foreign policy decision-making including; the spread of fake news, misinformation, and government interference in social media diplomacy. The study recommends that the ministry of foreign affairs should foster a culture of dialogue and ensure that the agenda set on social media platforms and other social media outlets are clear and easy to understand. The study suggested that a similar study be conducted focusing on the COVID-19 period with regard to how foreign policy decisions were influenced through social media diplomacy.