Topic: Important aspects of governance, transparency and accountability, e-governance applications, models, successes, limitations, and potential; citizens charters, transparency & accountability and institutional and other measures.
4. Social media can connect large populations and remote groups and is an effective tool for enhancing communication, collaboration and transparency across government departments. Evaluate. (250 words)
Difficulty level: Moderate
Reference: Indian Express
Why the question:
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar’s Twitter handle has taken an interesting turn lately, both in terms of its messaging for a domestic audience as well as for those outside the country. In the past, he rarely tweeted so frequently in languages other than English. March, April and May 2022 saw a considerable increase in Hindi tweets (102 over the three months), even more than his tally in 2021 (72 Hindi tweets).
Key Demand of the question:
To write about the role played by social media in governance and its limitations.
Directive word:
Evaluate – When you are asked to evaluate, you have to pass a sound judgement about the truth of the given statement in the question or the topic based on evidence. You must appraise the worth of the statement in question. There is scope for forming an opinion here.
Structure of the answer:
Introduction:
Begin by giving context regarding the growth of social media in the digital age.
Body:
First, write about the benefits offered by social medial – social media is an excellent place to communicate with constituents, launch campaigns, build awareness around initiatives, and is an essential tool in crisis communications. Substantiate with examples.
Next, write about the various limitations of using social media as tool for governance.
Conclusion:
Conclude with a way forward to overcome the limitations.
