Behind the Memes: The Public Diplomacy Tool of the Moment

The impact of memeplomacy extends far beyond mere entertainment. Memes have the power to attract followers, drive traffic to embassy profiles, and increase the visibility of more serious diplomatic initiatives. By leveraging the viral nature of memes, public diplomacy actors can amplify their message and engage with audiences in ways previously unimaginable. This approach also requires a careful balance of creativity and sensitivity. Memes must be culturally appropriate, avoiding topics that may be perceived as political or controversial, and should contribute towards a bigger public diplomacy goal. By understanding the trends and the culture, public diplomacy practitioners can craft memes that resonate with their target audience, especially among younger demographics.

In the age of digital communication, the role of public diplomacy officers has evolved beyond traditional methods. While embassies continue to engage in customary activities to foster international relations, the landscape of diplomacy has been significantly altered by the emergence of social media. We have also seen the introduction of new terms in academia that stem from the use of social media for public diplomacy, such as digital diplomacy, cyber diplomacy, or twiplomacy (which may now need to be called Xplomacy). However, certain elements within the realm of social media have been garnering increasing exposure, attention, and relevance, catching the notice of many public diplomacy actors.

As a public diplomacy officer myself, navigating this dynamic environment requires constant innovation and adaptability. While conventional public diplomacy activities remain essential, their effectiveness is often limited by their reach and resonance in an increasingly saturated online sphere. Thus, the need for out-of-the-box thinking has never been more pressing. This is where the importance of memes comes into play. 

As we embrace the evolving landscape of public diplomacy, it's useful to recognize the significance of memes in fostering mutual understanding and shaping the future of public diplomacy in the digital sphere.

Far from being mere snippets of humor, memes – the cultural currency of the Internet – possess an unparalleled ability to swiftly propagate and connect with diverse audiences on different levels. Take Duolingo as an example. In only a few months, their memes with the Duolingo owl became viral, multiplying their following base 17-fold by the end of 2021. Today, Duolingo has 10.7 million followers on Tiktok and 88.4 million monthly active users, a significant increase compared to the 37 million monthly active users Duolingo had by the end of 2020. This raises the question: could countries leverage a similar approach to the marketing strategies employed by companies like Duolingo, harnessing the virality and reach of memes to enhance their public diplomacy efforts?

My answer is yes, but it’s complicated. Successful memeplomacy goes beyond simply eliciting laughs; it involves a deeper understanding of social trends and cultural nuances. Public diplomacy actors must immerse themselves in the digital landscapes of the countries they represent, familiarizing themselves with local humor and online behaviors. In order to create a trendy meme, we should not only be aware of the latest trends, but we also need to understand the use of the different elements within a meme. For example, there is a trend of adding the credits and theme of the series “Curb Your Enthusiasm” at the end of your video. Astute followers of social media trends will know that those credits are only used when the short video depicts a mistake or an error, not a dad joke, not a POV (“Point Of View”: another trend of short videos that simulates the perspective of a specific character or scenario), and definitely not a happy ending. Using these memes inappropriately might even be more damaging to the social media account as the audience could consider it cringeworthy or embarrassing, like when their parents and grandparents try to be “cool” using their slang incorrectly or completely misunderstanding its meaning.

In addition, a cultural understanding of what is considered funny within the foreign public or a specific age group within the audience is necessary. There are plenty of memes that are based on points of view, like POV videos do explicitly, or situations and behaviors experienced by the local audience in different occasions. At the Embassy of Spain, we created a cat meme that reflects the experience of Americans’ traveling to Spain. To understand the Americans’ experience, we put ourselves in the shoes of our target audience and achieved modest virality.

Another example of successful memeplomacy is the numerous parodies of the trendy DINKS video that governmental institutions have transformed to make references to their own fields and situations. Short for Dual Income No Kids, the DINKS video is a trend where obvious characteristics about DINK couples are mentioned in a humorous way by themselves, with the classic sentence “We’re DINKS, of course we…” Some embassies have approached this trend as a way to share aspects of their culture and stereotypes in a funny way while promoting their public diplomacy campaigns, like the Embassy of Switzerland in the United States, when they mention their famous Swiss cheese and chocolate. Moreover, there are some other institutions that have successfully integrated the host culture in their videos, making it more attractive and authentic to their target audiences. Take, for instance,  the Embassy of the United States in Spain, when they show their diplomats saying “vale” and taking “siestas.”

In an ever-changing digital world, memes are rising as the public diplomacy tool of the moment. Successful memeplomacy demands not only humor but also a profound understanding of cultural nuances and audience preferences. By leveraging the virality of memes, public diplomacy actors can engage with diverse audiences, amplify their message, and navigate the complexities of the digital age with creativity and sensitivity. As we embrace the evolving landscape of public diplomacy, it's useful to recognize the significance of memes in fostering mutual understanding and shaping the future of public diplomacy in the digital sphere.