Indian’s are displaying signs of a refreshed love affair with social networks, with data suggesting that Twitter and Facebook traffic has hit an all-time high. According to the latest roundup of figures from eMarketer in the US, 2013 brought an extraordinary 37% growth to the Indian market’s combined social networking tally.

The bruising battle between Israel and Hamas in Gaza has carved out a bloody new front in social media — one that has bypassed traditional news outlets and burned a straight path toward advocates on all sides.

Jews in Europe are facing a rising tide of anti-Semitism, as left-wing, right-wing and Islamic groups take to the streets to protest against Israel's military operation in Gaza.  There has been also been an explosion of anti-Semitic abuse on social networks, including Facebook and Twitter.

With reference to Pakistan, our busy diplomats in the world’s power hub of Washington DC are gradually embracing social media but are not sufficiently trained to engage in debates on social media. That is unfortunate because social media has become the new public diplomacy tool and is far cheaper than the bloated budgets of fancy diplomatic events. In this age of rapid-fire peer-to-peer connectivity, the Pakistan embassy is still boxed in in the world of achingly slow government-to-government negotiations. 

On a swing through San Francisco, former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton dropped by Twitter headquarters where she praised "girls who code" and hoped social media would one day be used to resolve political and diplomatic problems. Twitter's headquarters is a frequent destination for world figures, celebrities and politicians looking to amplify their message by addressing the employees of the popular social network.

The State Department on Monday awarded a task order worth up to $275 million over the next five years to AT&T Government Solutions to design and provide secure telephone and communications systems run over the Internet to more than 300 U.S. embassies and consulates worldwide.

Trying to cram a nuanced view on the tragedy in Ukraine into 140 characters was a mistake. Taking a closer look at the West's role is not.  I had a valuable learning experience last week, prompted by a hasty tweet I sent out on the subject of Ukraine.