The Role of Digitalisation in Shaping a Country's Image

The objective of this study is to examine the complex role played by digital technologies in shaping a country's image on the global stage. In recent times, with the rapid evolution of digital communication platforms, developing nations have increasingly turned to digital technologies to project their cultural, economic, and political narratives to an international audience. This paper examines the relevant literature relating to how digital technologies contribute to the creation and dissemination of a country's image, impacting the opinions and views of global stakeholders. It so doing, the paper reviews the challenges and opportunities arising from the integration of digital tools in country branding efforts, including misinformation concerns, digital diplomacy, cybersecurity, and the democratization of narrative-building. The paper then puts forward a provisional conceptual framework for primary research in Nigeria that will examine the interplay of digitalisation and country image. The paper concludes that digitalisation has a significant influence on a country's image, affecting perceptions of technological advancement, economic development, access to information, social transformation, and global competitiveness, and suggests that the framework put forward here may act as a model for cross-country comparisons in subsequent studies.