Abstract

This paper argues that the increasing use of internet and its social media in Indonesia’s diplomacy has inevitably promoted the role of the state in enhancing public diplomacy. On the one hand, Indonesia’s PD had found new ‘vehicles’ to reach society through various internet-based applications. These tendencies are in line with the serious effort of involving people or non-state actors in diplomacy. On the other hands, Indonesia’s PD has also had to deal with several problems and threats of the internet’s use, which have inevitably provoked governments’ authority in order to manage and coordinate responses and policies. This paper seeks to discuss to what extent the Ministry of Foreign Affairs or Kementerian Luar Negeri has responded to manage the growing use of internet in PD for achieving national interest.Therefore, an analysis on the way the MOFA has maximized social media and digital diplomacy platforms and integrated them into Indonesia’s diplomatic practices is of importance.