An Examination of Factors Influencing National Reputation of India Among South Asians on Social Media

Abstract

Social media play a central role in governments’ communication with foreign citizens, but little is done to understand how such platforms build national reputation. To fill this research gap, the study examines online engagement, online social relations, and information use that predict national reputation in the social media context. National reputation is examined through a survey of 387 South Asian social media followers of the Indian government. Results show that online engagement of users with the Indian government and their information use related to India are positively associated with national reputation. However, users’ online social relations with Indians is negatively associated with national reputation. The study provides empirical support to understand how public diplomacy operates in an online-only context and in the case of India specifically.