Role Of Social Media In Legal Awareness

Abstract

The establishment of legal education has been one of the most beneficial results of the use of mass media which seeks to transform human lives through the service of the justice system. The pathetic state of legal literacy in India is a matter of concern. Legal literacy, according to scholars, is a process of self-empowerment which leads to the realization of one's rights. In poor socio-economic conditions, more than 33% of the populations are illiterate who are living below the poverty line. In view of these incidents, awareness and dissemination of legal literacy is necessary to ensure their legal rights. Media is a very powerful tool in a India. If the laws made for public welfare are not being used properly, then it will be considered a failure. Social media platforms play an increasingly important part of social life, communication, and dissemination of information. They inevitably touch the lives of most of the people. If the human is not aware of their rights, then the very essence of the law is lost. In such a situation, the law becomes a toy in someone's hands, which is a more dangerous situation. Whatever progress the country has made, a lot of laws can be introduced by the Parliament or administrative authority to the public only with the help of the media.

The fourth pillar of democracy is media. The positive role and use of social media is the strongest weapon to sustain democracy. Our country has transformed itself into a Welfare State. Because of this change, the responsibility of the state has increased manifold. Because in today's globalized world violation of human rights and freedoms can be seen. Social media, if used wisely and responsibly, can help us in many ways to promote good influences in our daily lives. Social media can reach to the greatest extent through extensive reporting and wide distribution across sections of the society and help in promoting and propagating legal literacy among the poor. Keeping this in mind, this article focuses on legal literacy, how it affects the society and how social media is helpful in promoting legal literacy. In addition, the paper mainly focuses on the role of social media in promoting awareness.