Paper short abstract:

ICTs may have made the process of migration easier. This paper will analyze how such a reality impacts the practice of diaspora diplomacy at the embassy level.

Paper long abstract:

The decision to migrate is regarded as a difficult one as it entails separating from one's family, culture and language. Moreover, migrants are often subject to a decline in their social status. However, the global spread of ICTs may have had a dramatic impact on the process of migration. Studies suggest that SNS enable migrants to remain connected to their country of origin. Notably, cellular and internet applications enable migrants to stay in close and continuous contact with family members (e.g., WhatsApp, Skype). Finally, cellular applications enable migrants to gather valuable information on their new host country and create close ties with other migrants. Thus, it's possible that migrating to another country is easier than it once was. These changes may have a dramatic, and contradictory, impact on embassies practicing diaspora diplomacy. If migration has become easier, embassies may soon find themselves servicing larger diasporas. On the other hand, larger diasporas may be utilized by embassies in order to enhance ties between countries. Lastly, the use of ICTs by migrants to create online networks of information exchange (e.g., employment opportunities) and social capital may reduce reliance on embassies. Thus, embassies may need to join migrant social networks in order to service and utilize diasporic communities. This paper will analyze the influence ICTs have had on migrants and on embassies practicing diaspora diplomacy. In addition, it will explore how embassies may employ SNS to maintain their roles as interlockers of diasporic communities and their countries of origin.