Digitalization and country image: Key influencing factors (a case example of Nigeria)

This article examines the multi-faceted role of digital technologies in shaping a country’s image, with particular reference to Nigeria, the largest economy in West Africa. Digital technologies are playing an increasingly significant role in the development of country image, impacting cultural, economic, and political aspects, and this is drawing increasing interest and focus from the academic community. Here, the ways in which digital technologies contribute to the creation and projection of a country’s image are investigated via a two-stage research process. Firstly, a systematic literature review identifies key influencing factors (IFs) that are represented in a provisional conceptual framework (PCF). The IFs are the impact of social media, the level of digitalization and support infrastructure, cybersecurity vulnerabilities, technology innovation, standards and governance, and education and awareness. Secondly, a questionnaire based around the PCF was circulated to 10 leading academics and managers, in which they were asked for their views and experiences, and their assessment of the significance of each of the IFs. The exploratory paper concludes that digitalization 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.