The master’s thesis explores how Slovenia, the Netherlands, Japan, and the United Arab Emirates presented themselves at the Expo 2020 in Dubai, with an emphasis on the role of digital media in shaping and disseminating national representations. The study is grounded in theoretical frameworks of mediatization, representation, digital media and nation branding. We approached the analysis of selected national pavilions as complex communication device through three concepts of media spectacle: liveness, control, and participation. We examined the physical pavilions as central points of state representation, as well as their communication on social media profiles and websites. The key finding of the thesis is that national pavilions served as strategic representation tools. In addition to being physical exhibition spaces, the pavilions also functioned as digital platforms through which countries enacted their narratives, values, and political ambitions. Research shows that despite promises of enhanced interaction through technology, digitalization often maintains hierarchical and controlled communication structures, where users remain passive recipients rather than active co-creators of content. For this reason, the thesis highlights the gap between the idea of open digital communication and the real-life practices of representation in global events. The example of Expo 2020 emphasises the need to develop more inclusive, accessible, and dialogue-friendly forms of representing nations, which would, in the future, enable a more dynamic balance between strategically controlled representation and inclusive audience participation.
|
