The Raw Material of Custom on Social Media: International Legal Relations

Abstract

Social media has become a key feature of international relations. However, the widespread use of social media by the states prompts a particular set of legal questions. This article examines the possibility for the raw material of custom to emerge on Twitter in this way, and thus considers the implications of widespread state social media use for the lawyer or researcher attempting to identify customary international law standards. The article examines a number of possible implications of diplomacy in social media for the identification of the law: the blurring between the “personal” and the “official”; the brevity and (lack of) clarity and rigour of tweets; the significant increase in the amount of relevant data but also its comparative “centralization” (with potentially positive as well as negative consequences); and concerns regarding authenticity.