Social media as new source of soft power

Anotace: Around three decades ago, American political scientist and professor from Harvard University Joseph Nye put forth idea called „soft power“, a concept that caught fire and went on to define the post-Cold war era. This type of power is not based on military resources, which are classified under "hard power". Joseph Nye defined term soft power as the ability of a country to persuade others to do what it wants without force or coercion. In recent years many different organizations, NGOs, companies or political groups have also shown a diplomatic activity with soft power approach. This development should be jointed with the extension of the public diplomacy, a diplomacy targeting a wide variety of non-institutional audiences. It brings together a range of propaganda practices aimed at manipulating the perception of foreign audiences to enrich national interests. The digital age and social media amplify the ethical dilemmas inherent in public diplomacy practices.