A possible essay plan on the role of information and communications technologies (ICTs) in international affairs.

 Introduction: Perhaps start with a reference to a recent example of the use of social media and their influence on international affairs. Then give a fairly broad definition of the ICTs to include the Internet, everything on it that aims at communicating news and ideas, social media, smart phones, tablets and PCs as ways of accessing the Internet, forwarding and exchanging information and satellite TV.

Line of argument: This essay will argue that the rise of the then ‘new media’ was greeted as an advance towards a more democratic society that would allow people to communicate freely across the world and to play a greater role in politics and international relations. This optimism has now given way to fears about the misuse of the Web and social media by terrorists, organized crime and groups or governments seeking to spread fake news, disinformation and propaganda to mould and manipulate public opinion. However, the ICT revolution is irreversible and states, laws and individuals will have to adapt to it and the public will have to become more skilled at checking the source of information more carefully.

Explain that most people with access to the new media now get their information from a mix of sources, traditional media like TV, web service providers like Yahoo, social media like Facebook and Twitter and specific web sites and groups that they go to or join. This means that organizations, universities, government ministries, public figures and private companies as well as the traditional media (TV networks and newspapers) have all had to go online in order to communicate with the public (voters, customers or students), promote their activities and defend themselves. This has led to a more transparent and responsive society.

This is true for the Foreign Ministry and the diplomatic corps too (you could make this the focus of your essay instead of the one I chose). This offers great opportunities for rapid communication within the service and with foreign governments and embassies, in explaining Italy's position on an issue to the global public, for providing services to Italian citizens abroad and foreigners, for cultural diplomacy and for networking in economic diplomacy. However, it has also made the work of diplomats more difficult because of the pressure on diplomats for instant reaction to breaking news, the difficulty of conducting quiet diplomacy and the danger of whistle-blowing – the Bradley Manning case, the Edward Snowden case and the Palestine papers case and role satellite TV broadcaster, Al Jazeera). Of course, all of these cases may also be seen as the mark of a free society, depending on your point of view about the particular case and information released, and about the balance to be struck between national security and privacy. 

 Explain with clear examples from current affairs how internet and the social media can create open web communities where users can link up and become better informed about specific questions, and that this is particularly important for dissident groups in a society where access to information via the traditional media may be in the hands of the government (Egypt during the Arab spring, also the role of satellite TV). Point out that, in the end, it can assist but cannot substitute direct action.

Explain that Internet and social media can also be used by closed web communities like terrorists to recruit and indoctrinate. Give examples, e.g. ISIS. It can also be used by criminal organizations. Give examples, e.g. from hiring a hitman on Facebook in Peru to scams and cybercrime involving stealing credit details or industrial espionage.  It can also be used by groups or countries seeking to spread fake news and manipulate public opinion, the alleged interference in the 2016 US elections by Russia. Point out that governments in one-party or authoritarian states can use the web for propaganda purposes and to infiltrate groups on the social media to monitor or entrap users (China, Russia, Iran, North Korea). They can close down sites and have become more skilled in blocking the social media and access to Internet completely if they feel threatened (China, North Korea).

Conclusion: The Internet and social media are here to stay and as their potential for good and bad becomes clearer, free societies and individuals will have to work on these issues and become more sophisticated to take advantage of the opportunities they offer without becoming the victims of those who aim to use ICTs in order to mislead, indoctrinate or spy on them. Governments, international bodies, web service providers like Yahoo and social media like Facebook and Twitter will all have to become more responsible and, above all, more effective in monitoring content and activity on social media without imposing unjustified censorship or surveillance. If we fail to do this effectively, we face a bleak future in which many naive IT users continue to be misled and our freedom may be restricted in a 1984-style scenario.