New Media Studies

Analysis of the Meaning of Women’s Entrepreneurship in Cyberspace (Case Study: Instagram)

Soghra Ashouri; Zahra Mirhosseini

Volume 10, Issue 38 , November 2024, , Pages 296-261

https://doi.org/10.22054/nms.2024.79843.1709

Abstract

AbstractThis qualitative research focused on exploring the meaning of entrepreneurship and analyzing how women entrepreneurs operate within the context of the Instagram social network. ... Read More AbstractThis qualitative research focused on exploring the meaning of entrepreneurship and analyzing how women entrepreneurs operate within the context of the Instagram social network. To achieve this, in-depth interviews were conducted with 14 women entrepreneurs, each possessing an active Instagram presence. The collected data underwent thematic analysis, revealing three overarching themes: "(1) Instagram and the presentation of women's skills," "(2) Instagram online shops conducive to women’s multifold roles," and "(3) Instagram as a novel platform for women's expressive societal engagement." Along with the three overarching themes, seven organized themes were recognized: "Instagram shop," "customer-centric approach," "rapid business expansion," "work-life balance," "simultaneous progress and presence," "occupation suitability with feminine character,” and “prospects for women's personal development and creativity.” The findings of this study revealed that the virtual space, particularly Instagram, has established a secure, dynamic, and adaptable intellectual and action-oriented environment for women entrepreneurs to exert a socio-economic impact. Through this platform, women entrepreneurs can effectively attract and connect with customers while shaping their viewpoints and behaviors.IntroductionOver the course of recent decades, women’s role and participation in economic spheres have seen a significant expansion and diversification. This diversity can be attributed to a host of factors: advancements in technology, the acknowledgement of women's rights for independent socio-economic activities, and the complex challenges arising from their multiple roles within the family, personal, economic, social, and cultural realms. Entrepreneurship is a vital factor in increasing employment and, in turn, a nation's Gross National Product (GNP). This can lead to reduced imports, increased exports, and economic growth. Given these realities, if women are offered opportunities and conditions to participate in entrepreneurial endeavors, they can assume a substantial role in a country's economic progression. Within this framework, the cyberspace, encompassing platforms like Instagram, provides an enabling environment for women's entrepreneurial ventures. It seems that women have, to some extent, leveraging novel platforms such as cyberspace and international and domestic social media, managed to establish a competitive and inventive space for women-owned businesses that operate as online stores. This research seeks to explore and analyze women's entrepreneurship in cyberspace, with a specific focus on Instagram. The significance of this study lies in its potential to shed light on the entrepreneurial experiences of women operating online shops on Instagram. Furthermore, it can aid policymakers in crafting comprehensive and effective policies concerning women and the digital realm, with a particular emphasis on women's entrepreneurship.MethodologyThe primary objective of this research is to undertake a sociological analysis of female university graduates' entrepreneurial activities on Instagram and understand the process through which these entrepreneurial actions emerge and operate on this platform. As such, a qualitative approach and thematic analysis through conducting in-depth, semi-structured interviews are considered necessary for this study. The study's population encompasses female university graduates aged between 20 and 50, holding degrees ranging from associates to doctorates. All interviewees have less than 10 years of entrepreneurial experience and fall into the micro or medium category, either being self-employed or employing less than 20 individuals. The inclusion criterion stipulates that each participant has an active Instagram page for their entrepreneurial venture. The interviewed sample demonstrates a notable diversity in various aspects. For instance, this diversity encompasses differing levels of entrepreneurial experience, the relationship between the participants' field of study and their entrepreneurial venture, variations in terms of their business registration status, and distinctions between micro and medium-level businesses. To address the challenge of accessing individuals possessing specific characteristics, a snowball sampling method was utilized to select our interviewees. According to this method, one or more participants who fulfill the research criteria are asked to refer the researcher to others who share similar traits. A total of 14 individuals were interviewed, and theoretical saturation was reached after the 12th interview. To ensure reliability, two additional interviews were conducted, ultimately resulting in a total of 14 participants for this study.Results:Based on the analysis of the data collected through the interviews, the research yielded a series of findings that include 45 basic themes, 7 organizing themes, and 3 overarching themes. Below is a tabular representation of the findings: Basic themeOrganizing ThemeOverarching ThemeOfficially starting work by creating an Instagram page, finding entrepreneurs through Instagram pages, attracting the attention of economic institutions and news agencies to entrepreneurial activities, production networking, sales networking, marketplace creation networkingInstagram StoreInstagram and the presentation of women’s abilitiesGenerating ideas through direct messages, learning advertising from Instagram, learning to create sales content from Instagram, providing consulting to others to start a businessCustomer-CentricExcitement from creating, the joy of seeing the final result, the joy of seeing customer satisfaction, the joy of attracting customers and capturing their attention, flexible work, the blossoming of talents, the desire for innovative ideas, the desire for beauty and beautification, earning money and ensuring a happy time for oneselfRapid GrowthInstagram online shops suitable for women’s multiple rolesHousework and economic activity simultaneously, economic activity while raising children, the emergence and development of children’s talents, family members’ voluntary and joyful participation in entrepreneurshipWork-life balanceInterest in social activities, desire to impact society, not being indifferent to the economy of women, striving to influence the cultural society, striving to be useful in societyMoving Forward and in the MomentInstagram as a new platform for women’s active social actionLack of understanding of women’s conditions and identity roles in administrative jobs, striving to prove one’s abilities in administrative centers, the monotony of administrative work, unwillingness to do monotonous work, desire for a change in job, desire to balance multiple roles, desire to regain identityOpportunity for Women’s Growth and CreativityJob security, financial independence, skill development, recovery of personal-social-family identityJob Suitability with Feminine PersonalityConclusionAn examination of the research findings uncovers that female entrepreneurs on Instagram not only prioritize offering superior service to their customers but also express a concern for promoting healthy and value-based living. Moreover, these entrepreneurs do not shy away from imparting their profession to customers who wish to learn, thereby sharing their knowledge to foster the emergence of new entrepreneurial endeavors. This research highlights several vital characteristics of Instagram, as identified by the interviewees, that contribute to the value and advantages of Instagram-based businesses: (1) swiftness in communication, learning, and product delivery; (2) decreased time and capital demands for promoting and introducing the created product; (3) the lasting impact and establishment of entrepreneurship as a trusted reference; and (4) a secure environment for women to conduct significant economic and social activities, all while staying true to their feminine identities.

Cyber feminism, represented demands of women in virtual social networks

Hamideh Hosseinzadeh; Afsaneh Tavassoli

Volume 10, Issue 37 , June 2024, , Pages 322-271

https://doi.org/10.22054/nms.2024.73851.1568

Abstract

This research was conducted in order to investigate cyber feminism in Iran and with the objectives of identifying the demands represented in feminist social networks. In the qualitative ... Read More This research was conducted in order to investigate cyber feminism in Iran and with the objectives of identifying the demands represented in feminist social networks. In the qualitative phase of this study, library sources were used to identify the demands represented, as well as to check the content of feminist social networks, therefore, a total of 44 pages were identified with the following related indicators: "1- Semiotic signs of feminist approaches in text editing and the content used, 2_ the presence of feminist keywords and related ideas in the text and content used, 3_ active feminist pages expressing demands. 4- The posts are related to the demands of women. 5- Focusing on Iranian women, 6- Introducing yourself as a feminist in the profile (bio) section of these networks", 16 popular pages with more than K50 followers were selected and subjected to data analysis. The findings of the qualitative phase were conducted using thematic analysis method, It is worth mentioning that in the current research, the classification has been done up to the level of main themes, And finally, the main themes have been obtained from the classification of minor themes, And we have reached 5 main themes. Classification at all levels has been done by manual coding, which finally resulted in a main core under the title of "removing restrictions imposed against women" and five main themes including: "1. Resolving gender injustice and inequality, 2. Resolving relative deprivation from relationships and lived experience, 3. Resolving the crisis of female agency, 4. Resolving stereotypes built around the discourse of discrimination, 5. According to these data, we can conclude: Cyber feminists take actions in the field of cyberspace, taking into account the premise of "applying restrictions against women", which results in the representation of demands in cyberspace.IntroductionOne of the important issues this research examines is to what extent the virtual havens of Iranian cyber feminisms, given the limitations they have in forming real-world havens, have been able to connect the separate and individual cells of the existing feminist system to the main sources and through that have a maximum impact on the women's community. From this aspect, the most important objectives pursued in this study are as follows: examining the characteristics of the demands represented in social networks, investigating the desires and axes of activism in feminist social networks, and reviewing the major schools of feminist thought present in feminist social networks.Materials and MethodsThe method of data collection in this study is conducted through qualitative thematic analysis, which examines and analyzes posts and texts in several feminist Instagram networks that have led to the representation of demands in the field of women's issues. The population includes all active feminist pages that meet the criteria for entry into the study. The sampling method was theoretical or purposive, where the researcher actively participated in the social network Instagram and engaged in participatory observation to search for samples. In summary, for sampling, after an extensive search among active networks that met the entry conditions to the study, a smaller number that had significantly represented demands and guided the research author in answering the qualitative phase questions were selected. This included 16 pages with over 50K followers and a collection of 320 relevant and necessary posts to answer the questions.Discussion and ResultsFrom the point of view of these feminist pages, throughout history, all kinds of norms have become customs and habits which, by determining gender roles, have restricted and encouraged women to the private sphere and engaged in domestic work and caring duties, and have pushed men towards social activities and Being bossy and high-handed which has led. Therefore, from the point of view of these feminist pages, it is very important to get rid of these stereotypes and prevent future generations from falling into them, and give women a chance to get rid of these gender roles. From the point of view of many pages, supporting and serving women by applying official laws and customary norms is only a fallacy that has been done in line with the systematic exclusion of women from all public spheres and social affairs. And this is while in order to achieve equality, we need to remove the repressive laws that have created the ground for limiting women's competition with men and removing women from the labor market and social affairs in favor of men during the determination of gender roles. It is organized in a way that always reproduces the domination of men over women. Therefore, according to these pages, the basis of the gender order is the inferiority of women, and all institutions and social relations are organized on this basis, therefore, according to the claim, the important issue is the empowerment of women in the structure. More precisely, what is said about the inferiority of women in relationships and isolation based on the content of feminist networks means that at the top of the gender hierarchy, in any way, is hegemonic masculinity, which is characterized by dominance, authority, and physical strength, and in contrast to it. All kinds of femininity are in subordinate positions of hegemonic masculinity; either when the woman is in the position of central femininity, complementing the hegemonic masculinity, or when they form subordinate femininities at the end of the power pyramid. In any case, women are marginalized and their experiences and narratives are forgotten, because culture and power are reproducing the gender order, and women with different opinions and thoughts are faced with laws, customs, and barriers that make them "oppressed" in this field. "ConclusionsSo from the point of view of these social pages, what has been evident so far in performance and relationships, Male dominance and following a male-centered procedure and the dominance of patriarchal relations have been, which has led to ignoring the basic rights of women and after that has caused women to be excluded and marginalized. So in terms of these pages in feminist social networks, If the society is to be freed from the male-centered practice and patriarchal relations in all elements of the family and social system, it is necessary to achieve a justice-oriented rethinking in her perspective and performance and seek compensation with an egalitarian and egalitarian attitude. These networks believe that not only women's rights should be recognized in private and family spheres, Rather, in the public sphere, the presence of women in society should be improved both quantitatively and qualitatively, and instead of being a decorative and showy presence Efforts should be made towards a creative, active, independent presence and to expand the goal of gender equality in society.

The Impact of New Media Use on the Body Management of Club Women Mediated by Social Acceptance

arman heidari; vahid dastyar; Fatemeh Jafari

Volume 8, Issue 32 , January 2023, , Pages 275-237

https://doi.org/10.22054/nms.2022.49787.909

Abstract

Being absent in traditional sociological analysis, today the body and the body concept is at the heart of our sociology, social life, and identity self-concept. With the development ... Read More

The Life and Times of the Iranian women Ideological approach to the Women’s Representation on the Instagram

Azam Ravadrad; Mitra Shamsi

Volume 7, Issue 26 , November 2021, , Pages 170-131

https://doi.org/10.22054/nms.2021.35786.593

Abstract

This study examines the visual messages Iranian women shares on Instagram in order to perceive how they are represented on the social network. The research applies John Berger’s ... Read More

Critical Discourse Analysis of the Three Dimensions of Women's Hatred Against Women on Instagram

Maryam moghimi; hadi khaniki; Seyyed Ali asghar Soltani

Volume 6, Issue 22 , July 2020, , Pages 71-97

https://doi.org/10.22054/nms.2021.55300.1047

Abstract

The leading article has been written with the aim of analyzing the critical discourse of women's hatred against women on the pages of female users on Instagram. Based on this, referring ... Read More

The Impact of watching Persian-language satellite TV on female and female body management

gholamreza tajbakhsh; mohamad daneshfar

Volume 6, Issue 22 , July 2020, , Pages 187-215

https://doi.org/10.22054/nms.2021.28490.385

Abstract

9. The present study was conducted to investigate the effect of watching satellite networks on women's and women's body management in Shiraz. The statistical population of this study ... Read More

The role of Instagram in Women Body Management Case Study: Districts 1 and 20 of Tehran

seyed jamaledin akbarzade jahromi; seyed nour aldin razavizadeh; mohaddese sheikhi

Volume 5, Issue 20 , January 2020, , Pages 37-79

https://doi.org/10.22054/nms.2020.45410.801

Abstract

As modern values develop, centralization of the body is ascending. Statistics of cosmetic surgeries and makeup usage vividly clarifies the intensification of paying attention to the ... Read More

Modeling a Model for Promoting the Functioning of Virtual Social Networks in Improving the Health Status of Women

mehdi sharifi; soheila borghanifarahani; malihe shiani; mahdokht sharifi

Volume 5, Issue 20 , January 2020, , Pages 245-278

https://doi.org/10.22054/nms.2020.37901.637

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to develop a model for improving the function of virtual social networks in order to improve the health status of women. The research was applied for practical ... Read More

Computer Games and Representation of women: Semantic Analysis of Elsa’s Games

Farid Azizy; mohammad atabak; HosseinAli Afkhami

Volume 4, Issue 14 , August 2018, , Pages 221-253

https://doi.org/10.22054/nms.2018.30380.433

Abstract

Today, video gaming is a major global industry rivaling the film, music and book publishing industries. The products of this industry are widely used by children and teens to fill leisure ... Read More

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Keywords = women

Analysis of the Meaning of Women’s Entrepreneurship in Cyberspace (Case Study: Instagram)

Abstract

Cyber feminism, represented demands of women in virtual social networks

Abstract

The Impact of New Media Use on the Body Management of Club Women Mediated by Social Acceptance

Abstract

The Life and Times of the Iranian women Ideological approach to the Women’s Representation on the Instagram

Abstract

Critical Discourse Analysis of the Three Dimensions of Women's Hatred Against Women on Instagram

Abstract

The Impact of watching Persian-language satellite TV on female and female body management

Abstract

The role of Instagram in Women Body Management Case Study: Districts 1 and 20 of Tehran

Abstract

Modeling a Model for Promoting the Functioning of Virtual Social Networks in Improving the Health Status of Women

Abstract

Computer Games and Representation of women: Semantic Analysis of Elsa’s Games

Abstract