The Impact of Digital Diplomacy on Public Opinion: The Effect of Israeli Twitter Accounts on Saudi Public Opinion

Abstract

The impact of foreign soft power on public opinion in Saudi Arabia is poorly understood. Social media have become a new tool of public diplomacy that has enabled countries to communicate with foreign citizens. This research aims to examine the impact of Israel-run Arabic-language Twitter accounts on public opinion in Saudi Arabia. Social media platforms have provided Israel with the ability to communicate directly with the people of Saudi Arabia for the first time since the Israeli declaration of independence in 1948. To test the hypothesis that Israeli Arabic-language Twitter accounts have caused Saudis to become more accepting of the normalization of relationships between Saudi Arabia and Israel, an online survey was conducted with 16 Saudi Twitter users. The participants were asked to rate and comment on 30 different anonymous tweets. Half of them were from Israeli accounts, and the other half were from pro-Palestinian accounts. The answers were analyzed in the context of the historic relationships between Saudi Arabia and Israel and between Saudi Arabia and the Palestinian cause. The results show that Israeli tweets made participants' attitudes towards Israel slightly less negative. However, most respondents still held negative views about Israel, and 62.5% were against normalization. Further research over a longer period and with a larger sample is needed to determine the impact of Israeli digital diplomacy and its relationship to other factors.