The Scottish Government's Digital Influence

Glossary

Digital Diplomacy

The use of digital tools in the practice of diplomacy: social media, online conferencing, big data and AI analysis, etc.

Digital Influence

(Digital) influence is the capacity to affect others to take actions and/or change opinions or behaviour. It can happen directly (persuasion) and indirectly.

(Digital) reach

How far information will travel across the social continuum.

(Digital) relevance

Alignment to interests of the moment. Relevance is situation sensitive; what is relevant to someone in one context or point in time is quite different to what is relevant in other contexts or later in time.

(Digital) resonance

The ripple effect of information. It determines how long a conversational thread will remain topical or how many people feel compelled to offer their opinion in the matter.

Digital transformation

The integration of digital technology into all areas of an organisation, fundamentally changing how it operates and delivers value.

International Organisations

An international organisation is a stable set of norms and rules meant to govern the behaviour of states and other actors in the international system. Organisations may be established by a treaty or be an instrument governed by international law and possess their own legal personality. Examples include the United Nations, the World Health Organization and NATO.

Issue networks

An alliance of various interest groups and individuals who unite in order to promote a common cause or agenda in a way that influences government policy.

Multilateral relationships

Process of organising relations between groups of three or more states.

Productive networks

The nexus of interconnected functions, operations and transactions through which a specific topic, product, service, or activity is produced, distributed and consumed.

Social media

Websites and applications that enable users to create and share content or to participate in social networking.

Social media analysis

Collecting data from social media sites and blogs and evaluating that data to make business decisions.

Soft power

The ability to obtain preferred outcomes by attraction rather than coercion or payment.

Vanity metrics

Metrics that make you look good to others but do not help you understand your own performance in a way that informs future strategies.