Media Influence, Ontological Transformation, and Social Change: Conceptual Overlaps Between<i>Development Communication</i>and<i>Public Diplomacy</i>

Abstract

Development Communication and Public Diplomacy are twin products of U.S. political science and Cold War foreign policy. As contemporary diplomatic and development policies continue to converge, new ways of interpreting the relationship between the fields are necessary. This article analyses the 2 fields' emergence out of modernization policy and their reliance on a common conception of process: namely, that information propagated through media channels alters how foreign citizens know the world around them, and that this transformation can lead to positive social change. More recent paradigmatic shifts toward participatory communication models demonstrate that both fields have moved toward inclusive conceptualizations of influence and social change, but key differences suggest that they still have much to learn from each other.