How TikTok works for digital diplomacy during conflict/war times: the cases of Russia-Ukraine and Israel-Gaza conflicts

Artan Özoran B., Seyidov I., Erdoğan B.

JOURNAL OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY AND POLITICS, cilt.12, ss.1-16, 2025 (SSCI, Scopus)

  • Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
  • Cilt numarası: 12
  • Basım Tarihi: 2025
  • Doi Numarası: 10.1080/19331681.2025.2601152
  • Dergi Adı: JOURNAL OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY AND POLITICS
  • Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Scopus, Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI), IBZ Online, Information Science and Technology Abstracts, Library, Information Science & Technology Abstracts (LISTA), Political Science Complete, Public Affairs Index
  • Sayfa Sayıları: ss.1-16
  • Ankara Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet

Özet

During times of conflict and war, public diplomacy undergoes a significant transformation, withstrategic communication shifting from traditional channels to highly visual and participatorydigital platforms. Among these, TikTok has emerged as a key arena for states to shape perceptionsand mobilize international audiences. This study explores how TikTok is utilized as a tool of digitaldiplomacy by examining the official accounts of Ukraine and Israel during the Russia – Ukraine warand the Israel – Gaza conflict. Drawing on Strategic Narrative Theory (SNT), the analysis categorizesstate-produced content into system, identity, and issue narratives and investigates how thesenarrative types effect audience engagement on the platform. By integrating narrative analysis withquantitative engagement metrics, this research not only extends SNT into the context of short-form video platforms but also contributes to the growing literature on digital diplomacy in wartimecontext