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In a nation as diverse as Sri Lanka, the need for information in order to build a relationship between the government and its citizens is crucial because the social media can sometimes act as an informative bridge between the government and the general public.
The media as a whole are part of a constitutional balance of power as they provide checks and balances against other political spheres and perform the crucial function of informing and fostering citizens who are capable of actively participating in democratic politics.
In a post-conflict environment such as Sri Lanka, the development of a professional, independent and self-reliant media is essential to the development of democracy, economy and to foster long-term peace and stability in the country.
Access to information
Access to information is often considered fundamental to a modern democracy for which a liberal and open media is required. The right citizens 
have to influence their situations, voice their concerns and claim their rights are embedded in the heart of what democracy actually means.
Thomas Jefferson recognised that the cornerstone of democracy rested upon the foundation of an educated electorate saying, “Whenever the people are well-informed, they can be trusted with their own government.”
What this means is that when you provide citizens with adequate access to information, you are ensuring that they make responsible and informed choices rather than acting out of ignorance or misinformation. This leads to society adopting a positive attitudinal change towards development and in turn making better the life and environment of man.
Educated citizenry and open media space
In his Gettysburg Address, Abraham Lincoln expressed that democracy was government by, of and for the people. For such a radical concept of democracy to work, a genuinely participatory democracy and a deliberative forum must be created where citizens are kept informed, are intellectually competent and are given the space to contribute.
Therefore an educated citizenry and an open media space is a vital requirement for informed citizens to be able to participate in democratic debate and discussion.
In modern democracies the expectation is that the media be used as an avenue for public discussion and debate, helping to build a civic culture in the country which would leading to more intelligent and informed decision making. This wider forum of discussion and political participation is known as the “public sphere” and can best be described as a network of deliberative discussion and points of view through communicative action.
The public sphere
It is a concept first put forward by German sociologist and philosopher Jurgen Habernas who argued that the public sphere is an area where individuals come together to freely discuss and identify societal problems.
This public sphere theory is formed through a collective desire of the citizenry to take part in matters that they have a general interest in, and this is what facilitates critical debates and eventually underpins a genuine democracy. A government’s laws and policies should ideally be steered by the public sphere as the democratic governance of a country ultimately rests on the capacity of its citizens to engage in such enlightened debate.
A participatory democracy
Alexis de Tocqueville first put forward the idea of a participatory democracy in the 1830’s when he observed that the citizens of a country need to feel that they are valuable constituents of an active and participatory community in order for complete democracy to be observed.
True democracy is fully practiced when individuals share in those social decisions that determine the quality and direction of their life and that society organizes itself in order to encourage the independence of all, he called this concept Associationalism.
All modern concepts of democracy are linked to citizen participation. Citizen participation can be described as a form of grassroots involvement in national issues which involve governmental decision-making and implies a readiness on the part of both the citizens and the government to value these civic contributions and make them a part of the decision making process.
Democracy and economic growth are also closely connected simply because it echoes the levels of education and human capital in the country. An educated citizenry will always intervene and fight to protect democracy in a country, and in turn a democratically stable country will provide a safe environment for foreign investment, innovation and entrepreneurship.
The notion of a participatory democracy holds that when individuals participate in democratic processes they are likely to become more tolerant of differences between people, more open to cooperation and better able to engage in moral discourse and debate.
Championing social advocacy
The internet and new media platforms all champion such social advocacy and provide an expressive outlet for citizens to become increasingly politically engaged. They enhance citizen participation, because they create a new democratic space where everyone has the freedom of speech and become a virtual forum for interactive discussion.
The ubiquitous media landscape of today is redefining what it means to be a socially-engaged citizen. For example, social media usage is rapidly increasing in Sri Lanka with improving internet literacy, better internet facilities, and the affordability of mobile devices. With it there are a growing number of educated people who are engaging in social media in order to collectively voice issues of development and bring social to attention social change.
Social media
Social media provides an avenue for individuals to join together on political issues fostering common participation and equal deliberation between citizens, government representatives and policymakers alike. It allows people to disseminate information, challenge discourses, share alternative perspectives and circulate their own views and opinions and thereby promoting a culture of collaboration where multiple voices can be heard simultaneously.
These collaborative networking characteristics of social media facilitate a participative democracy by allowing previously marginalized individuals and groups who would otherwise be invisible and silent to be seen and heard.
They also allow for issues to be brought to the attention of public officials and for government intervention to take place where necessary. Where alternative voices in civil society can be heard it will in turn lead to fostering greater trust and confidence in the government.
Such a direct participation in political activities is known as e-democracy because it creates a type of virtual public sphere where individuals can become more engaged in the political process in order for the country to become authentically democratic instead of being isolated from the concerns of citizens and local communities.
Therefore it is important for the government to itself establish a strong presence on the World Wide Web in order to disseminate important public information and for receiving feedback from the public.
Social media has the power to influence events and opinions, alter mindsets, and bring about crucial change. It also has the power to empower governments and citizens alike to become to become more politically engaged individuals; fostering diversity and understanding, triggering reform and enhancing democratic participation, all which are vital components for the economic success of Sri Lanka.
(The writer graduated from the University of Peradeniya, Sichuan University in China and Ohio University in the United States. He is the current Secretary to the Ministry of Mass Media and Information. He is on twitter @charitha9.)
