Instrumentalisation of digital platforms as a means of soft power: The case of Covidoscope

With the spread of digital platforms to almost all areas of life, political communication practices are also changing in parallel with this spread. When considered in the classical sense, it is observed that diplomacy activities carried out in a narrow circle with a certain competence have also undergone a transformation. In this sense, digital platforms not only remove the time and platform barriers between individuals and institutions, but also open up new areas for diplomacy by appearing as a new platform. How this new field, also called soft power activity, is evaluated for Turkey is extremely important for this study. In this study, how digital platforms are used in soft power activities is discussed. Within the scope of the study, the Covidoscope Project made by Yunus Emre Institute (YEE), which is extremely important in terms of Turkey's cultural diplomacy activities, is discussed as a sample. Regarding this project; The website of the project was analyzed with content analysis and semi-structured interviews with three institute members were subjected to descriptive analysis. As a result of the findings, apart from the importance of using digital platforms to support soft power activities; It has been seen that digital platforms are used as the main and only tool. Keywords: Digital Platforms, Soft Power, Political Communication, Diplomacy