The “influencer” economy has become a big business in the social media age. Recognising the power of digital reach, the Indian government hosted its first national creators award in March. But India has gone further, employing specialised marketing agencies to enhance the dissemination of information about various government schemes, campaigns, and initiatives in a bid to foster greater citizen engagement. These online efforts are expanding into the realm of diplomacy.
In April, the Ministry of External Affairs invited a delegation of social media influencers from Sri Lanka and Nepal to tour various parts of India. Country familiarity visits of this type are common fare for journalists and think-tankers around the world, but “influencer diplomacy” marks a change. These influencers met with officials, members of the media, and the private sector, with the aim to promote cross-border collaboration and understanding.
A #BemisaalBharat experience for digital content creators from Nepal and Sri Lanka.
16 digital content creators from🇳🇵& 🇱🇰 participated in the first-ever familiarization visit to India, organised by @MEAIndia.
Here is what they have to say as they witnessed 🇮🇳’s cultural… pic.twitter.com/Fgh12wirbo— Indian Diplomacy (@IndianDiplomacy) May 9, 2024
In a way, this recalls a past focus on “celebrity diplomacy”, regularly associated with campaigns by non-government organisations. There is no standardised understanding of “influencer diplomacy” – it continues to evolve alongside social media trends, which come and go. Nonetheless, the collaboration between diplomats and influencers has begun and can offer a valuable asset to the development of public diplomacy strategies.
The Indian government has long excelled in public diplomacy, leveraging its rich cultural diversity both regionally and globally. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has advanced brand India in a bid to boost tourism and attract foreign investment, with the extensive Indian diaspora seen as an asset. The “Chalo India” campaign exemplifies this effort, encouraging the diaspora to invite their acquaintances to visit India and experience its beauty.
Bringing together Indian influencers and those from neighbouring countries offers New Delhi a new avenue to cultivate favourable public opinion towards India.
But it is refreshing to see New Delhi embracing modern tools by engaging with influencers from neighbouring countries. This innovation complements established practices and enhances India’s diplomatic outreach through the Neighbourhood First policy. In the coming months, cross-country collaborations between influencers are likely.
Public opinion in countries such as Nepal and Bangladesh has not always been favourable towards India. Bringing together Indian influencers and those from neighbouring countries offers New Delhi a new avenue to cultivate favourable public opinion towards India. This can be interpreted as propagandist outreach by some, since this strategy works towards building a positive image for New Delhi. In this regard, two things should be kept in mind.
First, provided such engagement with influencers is pro-bono and in the form of a familiarisation visit, which is primarily to ensure that creators from other countries are introduced to different aspects of India’s private and public sector, this fits with accepted practice. With such an engagement, the Indian government should not carry an expectation from creators about the kind of content or collaborations that shall result as the end products of the visit.
And second, the point is that familiarisation visits have been taking place for years for journalists and other thought leaders. If engagement with creators is seen as propaganda, the same questions would apply to this entire method of public diplomacy. Provided the support is declared, the audience can judge for themselves, as has been the case in the past when different journalist delegations have visited India from the Global South and Global North.
As India sets the tone for influencer diplomacy in the region, the government can, over the next few years, consider working with its South Asian partners to host government-led creator conferences. These conferences could further formalise diplomatic engagement through the influencer and creator routes, strengthening regional ties and enhancing mutual understanding.
Coordination is essential for effective public diplomacy activities. Various countries have established dedicated public diplomacy organisations to lead these efforts, such as the British Council for the United Kingdom, the Goethe Institute for Germany, and the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) for India. Similarly, to advance influencer diplomacy, India will need to ensure an entity is specifically given the job of coordinating and implementing its influencer diplomacy initiatives.
MyGov, under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), already works with local agencies to provide comprehensive services for influencer marketing campaigns directed at a domestic audience. This could be expanded to the international stage. MyGov can adopt a mandate similar to that of the ICCR, operating in close coordination with the Ministry of External Affairs.
India will quickly find competition in this space. Social media has changed the way people communicate and more governments will follow with similar campaigns. In the past, we have seen Chinese blogger Li Ziqi do the same to shape Beijing’s image worldwide.
This new genre of diplomacy is likely to gain momentum given the growing importance of influencers in shaping public perceptions.
