Digital diplomacy as a factor of ensuring the real sovereignty of Russia

Abstract

Current transition processes have closely related with huge numbers of social spheres. The most significant transformations took place in the digital technology sphere. These trends have radically changed most spheres of life primarily including spread of information and communication technologies, civil services, diplomatic negotiations and promotion of state interests through "soft power". Importance of technologies as an element ensuring the sovereignty of states has increased due to involving information and communication technologies in daily people’s life and state management processes. The land, maritime, information and technological borders of sovereign states are actually blurred. The most advanced tech actors have opportunity to impose not only their own economic policy, making other countries dependent on high-tech products and its individual components, but also the information agenda. Nowadays social networks and technological platforms have almost gained the upper hand in competition with traditional mass media, both in terms of the speed of news distribution and audience coverage. This article is dedicated to the transformation processes in the digital, communication and technological spheres and potential impact of mentioned processes on the states sovereignty, Also the article reviews digital diplomacy as an element of "soft power" in promoting state interests abroad.