The variability of the jokes of Persian telegram before and after the telegram filtering in Iran

The media along with modern technologies have been influential in the transformation of the cultural and social characteristics of a society. In this regard, humor and irony on general and jokes as a part of sub-culture may be effective in the process of social change. In the light of the extension of virtual space and various messengers including telegram, this space, with respect to its potentials, has created remarkable communications and mutual interactions between social context and its output. Restriction policies of virtual space and the use of symbolic violence has led to some changes in the action of telling-jokes. The present article, is based on a descriptive-analytical approach and uses a combined research methodology. Hence, in quantitative section, experts have analyzed explorative factors among the samples. In qualitative section, netnographic method has been used to compare different jokes in virtual space before and after the telegram filtering. Finally, the jokes has been analyzed using Raymond Boudon’s metatheory and Pierre Bourdieu’s symbolic violence. The results of the present study suggest that the filtering of telegram not only did not reduce the jokes intensity and effectiveness, but resulted in the enhancement of black jokes especially associated with sex category andthe reduction of the white jokes aiming at mere laughter. Furthermore, communicative and access challenges contributed to the change of jokes from pictorial to written form.