How did social media impact the role of embassies with regards to small communities of Maltese in Australia

Abstract

The aim of this dissertation is to find out what means of communication are used between the Maltese community in Australia and the Malta Foreign Affairs. By identifying the means of communication used by Diasporas and the MFA the government can recognize what needs to be developed in order to have better communication. This is an important issue since Diasporas are important and yield several benefits to a country. The study was conducted by understanding what have been said about Diasporas and the importance of Social media in a globalised world. Interviews were carried out in order to have a knowhow of the social media tools used by the Community in Australia the MFA and the High Commission in Australia. The research indicated that the Maltese communities in Australia achieved a considerable success in using social media and maintaining good communication between the community and their homeland. The case studies have shown that there needs to be a distinction between the first generation of Maltese in Australia and the second and subsequent generations in the way they make use of social media. It was also apparent that the Government needs to use means of communications such as Facebook and Twitter to reach out the second and subsequent generations of Maltese in Australia. The realization that MFA needs to link with Diaspora and that these emigrants may serve Malta's national interest is slowly emerging but not yet fully acknowledged. By improving communication the Government can integrate individuals to help in the development of the country.