In his first message as prime minister, Modi said that social media is a great platform to listen, learn and share one's views. Modi has also asked all his ministers to use the social media to reach out to the people. Modi stressed the significance of IT and social media for public interaction. This will help in improving the transparency and accountability in the functioning of the government. And, social media will not just bring people closer to the government but also make them an equal and integral part of the decision-making process.

For the government, social media helps gauge public opinion and read social trends. Most of the ministries already have their accounts on Twitter and Facebook. The external affairs ministry has been forthcoming in utilizing social media. Former England cricket captain Kevin Pieterson posted a query related to his visa approval on the ministry's Twitter handle and received a positive reply within 24 hours. This means Twitter can be used as a tool of grievance redressal. This can be easily experimented in other departments and may prove fruitful to improve delivery of various utility services.

Use of social media may change traditional working of governance. Online collaboration across government departments and also with common people could force a change in the way the government operates. The use of social media will open government structures and officials to a new culture. But excessive use of social media has its own downside too. Social media may cause intentional or unintentional exposure of sensitive data to unauthorized entities. And, messaging is difficult to control and may lead to over communication. Trolling is another concern, which may affect freedom of speech and lead to dictatorial tendencies.

Operating social media also involves risk. But keeping social media away from the sphere of governance involves more risks. Senior functionaries of the government should know how to use social media. They need to be educated about greater use of social media. Otherwise opportunities for real engagement, innovation and transparency will be lost. Election results indicate that Modi successfully used social media and has shown great determination to use it more in governance.

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