Exploring Ethical Resilience among Young Diplomats Facing Digital Disinformation
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Abstract
Digital diplomacy has transformed how states communicate, negotiate, and project influence in the global sphere, yet it has also introduced new ethical and psychological challenges driven by digital disinformation. Within this evolving landscape, young diplomats encounter unique pressures that shape their professional identities and moral decision-making, making it critical to understand how they experience and interpret such challenges. Despite extensive research on the strategic and technological dimensions of digital diplomacy, little is known about the lived experiences of diplomats who face disinformation in cross-border negotiations—specifically, how they construct meaning and sustain ethical integrity under informational stress. This qualitative research involved eight young diplomats (aged 25–35) from various regions including Asia, Europe, and the Middle East, all actively serving in foreign ministries or international organizations. This study applies an Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) to explore how young diplomats perceive, internalize, and respond to digital disinformation within the context of international negotiation. Data were collected through in-depth, semi-structured interviews lasting between 60 and 90 minutes, providing rich narratives of participants’ lived experiences. The research reveals that disinformation is experienced not merely as a technical or political issue but as an existential and ethical disruption to diplomatic identity. The analysis identifies four interrelated experiential themes: ethical ambiguity, emotional strain, identity negotiation, and the emergence of digital ethical resilience—a reflective capacity that enables diplomats to maintain integrity amid uncertainty. These findings provide a deeper understanding of diplomacy as a human-centered ethical practice, extending beyond policy frameworks to the subjective dimensions of diplomatic life. The study underscores the need for reflective and value-based training in diplomatic institutions and invites further research on ethical resilience across diverse global communication settings.
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