From Heritage to Hashtags: Transforming Cultural Diplomacy on Instagram, TikTok and X

Oleksiy Hovpun; Valerii Marchenko; Оleksandr Yakovlev; Zhanna Denysіyuk; Andrii Pyskun

doi:10.6001/fil-soc.2025.36.4.1

Oleksiy Hovpun
Valerii Marchenko
Оleksandr Yakovlev
Zhanna Denysіyuk
Andrii Pyskun

DOI: https://doi.org/10.6001/fil-soc.2025.36.4.1

Keywords: digital cultural diplomacy, narrative strategies, soft power, social media platforms, public diplomacy

Abstract

This article aims to analyse how Instagram, TikTok and X influence the forms, content and effectiveness of digital cultural diplomacy through a comparative analysis of Ukraine, South Korea and France. The study applies a mixed-methods approach combining content analysis, critical discourse analysis and quantitative variables such as engagement rate, virality, and audience growth. The dataset includes 150 Instagram posts, 120 TikTok videos and 200 tweets published between September 2024 and May 2025. The results demonstrate that platform logic determines narrative success significantly. In addition, cross-country comparison reveals four distinct models of digital cultural diplomacy: hybrid-network, coordination-commercial, institutional-curatorial and alternative-oppositional. Successful digital cultural diplomacy relies on the ability to integrate authenticity, emotional resonance, and platform-specific formats, transforming diplomacy from top-down messaging into collaborative cultural storytelling.