BUILDING SOFT POWER: NATION BRANDING THROUGH DIGITAL DIPLOMACY AT THE SAUDI MINISTRY OF CULTURE IN THE CONTEXT OF VISION 2030

Abstract

Prior to the launch of the Vision 2030 national development framework in 2016, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia had limited cultural engagement with the world beyond. This in turn contributed to the development of negative and even Islamophobic stereotypes regarding the Kingdom, which undermined its global brand and soft power. Against this backdrop, this thesis examined the communication strategies used by the Saudi Ministry of Culture (MOC) to rebrand Saudi Arabia’s global image and enhance its soft power through digital diplomacy on the X/Twitter platform, as part of the broader Vision 2030 framework. Moreover, the study also investigates the perspectives of Saudi decision-makers regarding the implementation of Vision 2030 in the cultural sector. The thesis applied a case study methodology, wherein two main methods were deployed to collect and analyse data. The first was a multimodal analysis of the MOC’s posts on the X/Twitter platform from June 2021 to December 2023. The second was semi-structured interviews with elites and experts working in the cultural sector. The analysis found that the MOC’s X/Twitter account (@MOCSaudi_en) deployed a variety of communication strategies aimed at expanding its global reach by posting in multiple languages, particularly English, which is the language of media in globally influential countries. The findings also showed that the MOC deployed hashtags such as #UNESCOHeritage linked to #SaudiCulture as a digital strategy to connect Saudi cultural initiatives, partnerships, and events to the global arena. Furthermore, the findings indicated that the MOC’s digital content relies on visual elements such as videos, photography, and infographics to promote Saudi cultural heritage, along with live coverage of international events such as the Cannes Film Festival, with digital tools such as AI, VR, and AR also utilised to reinforce its cultural messaging. The experts and elites interviewed expressed support for the MOC’s digital strategies, which in reflecting the broader social, cultural and economic changes underway in the Kingdom, mean that the MOC’s efforts to rebrand the country occur on a foundation of authenticity. That said, they also noted the need for greater communication efforts to reach a global audience, and in particular, cautioned against relying on digital diplomacy alone.