SOCIAL MEDIA: MANY TOO MANY FORM OF MESSAGE TRANSMISSION AN ANALYSIS (Article)

Abstract

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.