Sample Solution

voice political opinions, the sophisticated and evolving censorship mechanism that the Chinese Government employs often deletes posts and suspends user accounts. (Fu, Chan and Chua 2013) From the Pluralist perspective, these sources of information and debate would influence the Chinese public domain and ultimately State Foreign Policy, but with the prolific censorship of politically sensitive posts, the Elitist perspective is better supported. Nonetheless, users on these platforms have evolved to keep up with government censors. Certain words that are less likely to be censored are used as replacements for politically sensitive terms; such as “crown prince” (储君), used in reference to Xi Jinping. (Fu, Chan and Chua 2013) The Chinese New Social Media Scenario is an excellent example where there is a veritable push and pull between the Pluralist and Elitist Perspectives on Public Diplomacy. In this particular scenario, New Media neither helps nor hinders a State’s Diplomacy, rather it exists in a state of flux. Where the State attempts to assert control of New Media outlets as a tool, and the user base resisting it.
In conclusion, New Media has helped States conduct both traditional and Public Diplomacy by transforming the nature of both. New Media has changed the nature of traditional diplomacy by allowing Diplomats and State representatives to turn bilateral communications channels into multi-lateral ones. Moreover, New Media has transformed the way States conduct Public Diplomacy by creating platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube, where vast quantities of information can be disseminated to a multitude of individuals near instantaneously. New Media has the ability to both help and hinder a State’s Diplomatic intentions and aims. The deciding factor is how effectively a State utilises New Media platforms in furthering their Diplomatic and Foreign Policy objectives.