Social media play a very important role in national development. National development involves changes or advancement in a nation aimed at improving the political, economic and social lives of the people. The real influence of the social media in national development is dependent upon the penetration of internet and on computer literacy. The traditional media in dictatorships for example are not going to present the real picture because of the pressure from the Government and society. On the other hand big media houses are also called elite media in which news and views of the common person is absent. Therefore social media can
bridge this gap by providing a platform for common person where everyone can become a journalist or a watchdog of the society. This is just reverse to the concept of different early models of communication in which the communication was from one source (media) to many. Social media has given a new concept of communication in which many source of information are multiplied by many. This is really a recent phenomenon in which many persons are not only transmitting the message to many but at the same time they are also the receiver of the message. Today we are witnessing that Social media are strengthening the nation in several ways like: social media has mobilized the masses against corruption and gender discrimination. Different departments of the Government have also recognized the positive role of the social networking websites and with the help of the social media they are involving the common man in developmental programmes. Delhi Traffic Police and Varanasi Police are among those which are using the social media like: Facebook just to connect with the common man. These are only a few examples where social media are playing a positive role and becoming a tool of participatory communication and in this way it is strengthening the democracy of the country. On the other hand there are a few concerns about the role of social media like: commercial use of the individual’s information, privacy, authenticity problem, fake information, propaganda tool, defamatory information. Recently during riots it was found that social media are spreading rumors and fake information that led different community in communal tensions. Even The Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said that social media has to be used carefully. Therefore this paper aims to discuss various fields where social media has affected our lives and also of the fields where social media has been lacking in its role.