Online diplomacy

Online diplomacy refers to the use of digital technologies and the internet to conduct diplomatic activities, such as negotiation, communication, and information exchange, between governments, international organizations, and other actors in the international system.

Online diplomacy can take many forms, including video conferencing, social media engagement, virtual summits, and online forums for discussion and negotiation. These tools can allow diplomats and other officials to communicate more quickly and efficiently, as well as to engage with a wider range of stakeholders than would be possible through traditional diplomatic channels.

Online diplomacy has an interesting history dating back to the time before the World Wide Web was invented. In 1992, a large game was organised on the USENET group with players from around the world. The game was organised by the Diplomatic Pouch, an informal group of players who had been playing the game for years. The game was played on the USENET newsgroup (rec.games.diplomacy) by players posting their moves as messages to the newsgroup.

The game was quite intense and lasted for several months.
It was so successful that the Diplomatic Pouch decided to start organising more online diplomacy games on the USENET newsgroup. Apart from the gaming context, online diplomacy was used to describe the digital transformation of diplomacy. It was used during a period when the term online was popular in tech parlance.

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