Bahman Rabeie nia; Hussein Harsij
Abstract
The universalization of the use of virtual social networks has caused important changes in lifestyles, habits and social relationships and the relationship between people and governments. Social movements, as one of the methods of conveying demands and communication between people and the government, ...
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The universalization of the use of virtual social networks has caused important changes in lifestyles, habits and social relationships and the relationship between people and governments. Social movements, as one of the methods of conveying demands and communication between people and the government, are strongly affected by these changes. In the last two decades, the mobilization function of social networks has shown a new face of social movements all over the world. The aim of the current research is to explain this effect in the social movements of Iran between 2018 and 2018. The method of this research is descriptive-analytical and collected information using library sources, documents and secondary data. The findings of the research show that the use of social networks has played an effective and central role in facilitating the mobilization of resources for social movements. The major incidents investigated in the mentioned time period show that regardless of the reasons for the existence of social movements, with the control or lack of access to social networks, bringing the supporters of the movement to the stage is hindered, and with the passage of time, these protest movements suffer erosion and weakness.
Hossein Kermani; Amirali Tafreshi; Amir Mohammad Ghodsi; Alireza Bayat Makou; Ali Atash Zar
Abstract
Introduction:
The present study delves into the repercussions of the COVID-19 pandemic on human life and social interactions, with a particular focus on Iran. The pandemic has substantially impacted various facets of human life, resulting in diminishing physical presence in the public sphere to avoid ...
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Introduction:
The present study delves into the repercussions of the COVID-19 pandemic on human life and social interactions, with a particular focus on Iran. The pandemic has substantially impacted various facets of human life, resulting in diminishing physical presence in the public sphere to avoid getting infected with the virus, while increasing online interactions on social media platforms. The purposes of this research study include exploring the linguistic constructs developed on Twitter and Instagram in Farsi, during the initial stages of the COVID-19 outbreak in Iran. The analysis is aimed towards providing a comprehensive comprehension of the underlying meanings constructed and negotiated in the early days of Iran's experience with the COVID-19 crisis, particularly in relation to the presence of power dynamics and hegemonic discourses.
Materials and Methods:
The aforementioned study implements mixed methodologies, featuring a combination of computational and traditional qualitative approaches, namely SOCIAL network analysis and qualitative content analysis, to elevate the depth and validity of the analysis. Specifically, these methods are used to investigate the social networking components and discussive content present within social media. The data collected in this study entails more than 4 million tweets and Instagram submissions from January 21, 2020, to April 29, 2020. The focus of the Twitter data analysis centered on the retweet network, which acted as the information dispersion network. Following data refinement, the retweet network was extracted, comprising more than 2.5 million tweets. Using a modularity-based community detection algorithm, clusters within the retweet network were identified. Five significant clusters, boasting volumes in excess of 4% of the total network, were identified. Each cluster incorporated a selection of individuals identified as the most influential according to the Pagerank index, indicating the highest tweet circulation in the entire network. A sample of 5056 tweets representing the total tweet population (7658) was randomly drawn, following which they were qualitatively annotated via content analysis to identify the underlying discourses. The agreement coefficient, based on Krippendorff's Alpha, was calculated to be 83%.
Discussion and Results
The findings of this research unveil a total of 71 micro-discourse constructs, clustered into 16 overarching macro-discourses, that were observed on both Twitter and Instagram during the initial days of the COVID-19 outbreak in Iran. Furthermore, the most prevalent micro-discourse formats, sporting the highest frequency counts, were selected for further analysis, resulting in five dominant constructs on Twitter and Instagram each. The investigation of the selected discourses provided insights into their facets and their connection with power dynamics in Iran. Three of the predominant discourse formats were found to be shared between both platforms, with each host possessing
Conclusions
This study endeavored to discover and examine the discourses manufactured by Iranian users during the COVID-19 outbreak. The psychological dynamics of these users in the early phases of the pandemic were analyzed in light of Network Framing Theory and Foucault's Discourse Theory. The outcome presents a comprehensive picture of the network agency of Persian users on Twitter and Instagram. Users on Twitter predominantly held a conviction to accuse parties deemed responsible for the outbreak, such as negligence, faith-based assumptions, concealment, and misrepresentation. Meanwhile, Instagram users were positioned as afflicted, either undertaking health preventive measures or suffering the fear and hardships of COVID-19 conditions. This study illustrates that although internet-based networks have encroached on the primacy of conventional media as a leading framing agency, their features and systems still exert a significant influence. Each network highlights distinct frames, with specific content production dynamics, thereby producing diverse discourse constructs. This case study assessed the responses of users during the initial period of the crisis (short-term), but additional research can examine its implications in the medium and long term.
Hassan Bashir; Amir Reza Tamaddon; Amin Mirshekari Soleimani
Abstract
With the increasing use of new communication technologies, public opinion management tools have also undergone fundamental changes; both in terms of method and theoretical foundations, there have been developments in the field of public opinion management that double the need to review and develop the ...
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With the increasing use of new communication technologies, public opinion management tools have also undergone fundamental changes; both in terms of method and theoretical foundations, there have been developments in the field of public opinion management that double the need to review and develop the theoretical literature of the past. What is now being referred to as a new way of managing public opinion in recent years, and especially after the 2016 US election, is the issue of "social manipulation". The authors believe that Iran is one of the countries that is exposed to hostile social manipulation by regional and supra-regional powers due to its special communication position. To this end, with the framework of hostile social manipulation, the cyber actions of Saudi Arabia against the Islamic Republic of Iran have been studied. For the present study, more than 900,000 data related to Iran in Arabic were extracted by Twitter from the social network Twitter until 2021 & 2022 years; Then, using the network analysis method, the activity of Saudi users has been specially studied. The results of the study show that Saudi Arabia, with its hostile social manipulation techniques, especially by investing in cyber tools, seeks to discredit, destabilize, weaken, and sometimes promote specific groups and institutions that are important to the country's competitive power.
soha saleh; Alireza Haddadi
Abstract
The media, as a form of technology, has revived the age-old hope of bridging the nation-state gap by transforming societies into a society of virtual networks, and many believe that social networks such as Twitter have created a public sphere in the critique of political power. The present study, in ...
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The media, as a form of technology, has revived the age-old hope of bridging the nation-state gap by transforming societies into a society of virtual networks, and many believe that social networks such as Twitter have created a public sphere in the critique of political power. The present study, in the paradigm of cognitive interdisciplinary sciences and using the method of computing social sciences, examines the social relations network available on Twitter of Iranian users and examines the realization of the public sphere. The conclusion of the present study is that although the Twitter platform has potentially enabled such a possibility, the observation of the activism of active actors indicates the immaturity of the public sphere in Iranian society and we can only speak of political homophobia within scattered communities. What can make a difference in this human space through the technology of the hole are the bridge users on Twitter and the liaisons between the ECO rooms, whose role in the events related to the martyrdom of Sardar Soleimani is clearly explained, and the pattern of its qualitative variables is included.
Mahdi Latifi fard; Marjan Saffari; Rasool Norouzi Seyed Hossini; Mohammad Bahrani
Abstract
The popularity of the Olympic Games is so great that Games hosting tries to use a wide range of tools to protect the Olympic brand, achieve hosting goals, and connect with audiences. As one of the tools, social media has become an important part of media policies of sport events. The aim of the present ...
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The popularity of the Olympic Games is so great that Games hosting tries to use a wide range of tools to protect the Olympic brand, achieve hosting goals, and connect with audiences. As one of the tools, social media has become an important part of media policies of sport events. The aim of the present study is to investigate the use of Twitter, as a social media in the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games. In this study, the official twitter account of the 2020 Olympic Games Organizing Committee was reviewed from 2014 to the end of 2019. Finally, with the text-mining of 2,364 tweets published online at the timeline of the Tokyo 2020 account hashtags, tags, number of likes, retweets, and multimedia including photos, videos and gifs used in tweets were extracted. What is generally evident in Twitter-related research that the most important operator on this platform is retweets. Despite the increase in the number of retweets, the main goals of an organization can be achieved on Twitter. In fact, hashtags, hyperlinks, tag, and the use of multimedia content are used to increase user engagement in terms of the number of retweets.
SeyedReza Naghibulsadat; Fatemeh Oudlajani
Abstract
The purpose of this study is to analyze the content and evaluation of the Twitter of the Iranian and US Foreign Ministers aimed at identifying the "media diplomacy structure of Iranian and American politicians on Twitter."Social networks such as Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram have played a key role ...
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The purpose of this study is to analyze the content and evaluation of the Twitter of the Iranian and US Foreign Ministers aimed at identifying the "media diplomacy structure of Iranian and American politicians on Twitter."Social networks such as Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram have played a key role in the political arena, complicating political relationships and gaining more prominence in media diplomacy. .In order to answer the research questions and achieve the desired goals, content analysis method with two categories and evaluation techniques was used. The statistical population of this study is the total number of tweets of Iranian and US Foreign Ministers on Twitter in 2016-2019. The unit of analysis in this study is the Twitter posts (tweets) of the Iranian and US foreign ministers.The results show that the media diplomacy of the two countries has different aspects. Through its media diplomacy, Iran has been trying to emphasize its commitment to international commitments such as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), and on the other hand points to the non-fulfillment of US commitments.US media diplomacy is also against Iran. The United States is trying to portray Iran as one of the main proponents of terrorism and to make all of Iran's actions destabilizing the Middle East. It can be said that the United States is trying to represent Iran as a state sponsored by terrorism and destabilizing the Middle East through the efforts of its foreign ministers on Twitter.
Hossein Kermani; Marziyeh Adham; Amirali Tafreshi
Abstract
This paper provides a comprehensive and reliable approach to doing social research on Persian Twitter. Twitter has been one of the most favorable social platforms in Iran for years. Despite such popularity, research on Twitter has not been grown as it is supposed to be. Therefore, we are trying to fill ...
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This paper provides a comprehensive and reliable approach to doing social research on Persian Twitter. Twitter has been one of the most favorable social platforms in Iran for years. Despite such popularity, research on Twitter has not been grown as it is supposed to be. Therefore, we are trying to fill this gap by suggesting a complete approach in this article. This approach is based on social network analysis, ethnographic content analysis, and social media critical discourse studies. Combining these methods, we are going beyond the limitations of current approaches which focus on either users or tweets. This approach provides researchers with a convenient method from the selection of gathering data strategy and time to statistical and final analysis. We suggest helpful and reliable concepts and tools to research on Twitter in each step. Moreover, we present a strategy to coding users’ demographic variables in addition to an approach to reach a close and valid reading of tweets. This approach could consist of a convenient basis for future studies.
Milad Mir Mohamad Sadeghi; Abdul Ali Ghavam; Afsaneh Mozaffari
Abstract
Using Social Network Analysis (SNA), the present article explored a network containing 7885 people and 9927 ties among Arab-speaking ISIS supporters on Twitter. The aim of this research was to explore the structure of the relationship among previously mentioned users, investigate the advantages and disadvantages ...
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Using Social Network Analysis (SNA), the present article explored a network containing 7885 people and 9927 ties among Arab-speaking ISIS supporters on Twitter. The aim of this research was to explore the structure of the relationship among previously mentioned users, investigate the advantages and disadvantages of this structure for ISIS, and identify the key nodes based on centrality measures. Based on the findings of this study, the network of the Arab-speaking ISIS supporters in Twitter during February and March 2019 consisted of a decentralized deep structure with a long diameter and clusters which had a weak tie with one another and the whole network. This structure could lead to flexibility, stability, and agility of the network and it could also preserve the anonymity of the key ISIS supporters. The researchers determined the nodes with the highest centrality scores and divided the ISIS supporters into 3 distinctive groups: key users, connectors, and followers.
Ehsan Majidifard; Atiyeh Kamyabi Gol; Amin Majidifard
Abstract
Identity is defined through the comparison of oneself to the other and it is rooted in human beings' need to be different and distinguished from others. From a post-structualist viewpoint, identity is plural, dynamic and multi-dimensional and both individual and collective identities can be portrayed ...
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Identity is defined through the comparison of oneself to the other and it is rooted in human beings' need to be different and distinguished from others. From a post-structualist viewpoint, identity is plural, dynamic and multi-dimensional and both individual and collective identities can be portrayed through various medias. Social media, as the most prominent phenomenon of our era, not only provides a unique opportunity for people to share their thoughts and feelings, but also affects their lifestyles and worldviews. The present study, a qualitative analysis of big data, probes the discourse behind the representation of Iranian national identity in social media and specifically twitter. By probing the tweets, the study shows the discourses in which Iranians represent their identity. To find out the way Iranian twitter users redefine themselves and their national identity in their tweets, 6000 tweets were compiled in a 40-days period and were categorized based on their common features. Utilizing the discourse analysis and thematic analysis, the six elicited themes were categorized which include other-oreintation, self-escape, agent- orientation, self-victimizing, generalizing everyday behaviours, positive thinking, humiliating Iranian identity. Elaborating the themes, Iranians always regret their past civilization and behaviors, they humiliate themselves comparing the other nations and the last but not the least, their behaviors are inherently determined.
Seyed Zia Hashemi; Mohammad Rahbari
Abstract
Development of online social networks in recent years and creation of more ease for accessing to these networks via smart phones, has influenced people’s culture especially young people who use these networks daily. Among these networks, Twitter has different role because its access is prohibited ...
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Development of online social networks in recent years and creation of more ease for accessing to these networks via smart phones, has influenced people’s culture especially young people who use these networks daily. Among these networks, Twitter has different role because its access is prohibited in Iran and also many of its users have anonymous activity in it. So it creates an environment that users can talk in it more freely or as Hirschi says, there is less social control on these users. The lower social control in Twitter, may increase the amount of vulgar contents in it. So, understanding the role of Twitter in using vulgar contents as an abnormal behavior, is important for assessing the normative effects of using Twitter on its users.In this study, the content of Tweeter, from 1388 to 1396, is analyzed by using keyword-based data mining and descriptive-statistical method. Findings from data mining on 82 million tweets show that users have increasingly tweeted vulgar contents in early years of using Twitter in Iran. However, since 1392, the rate of using these contents have been relatively constant, and only 3 to 4 percent of all tweets have had vulgar contents. Therefore, in contrary to the first hypothesis, Twitter has not eliminated the obscenity of vulgar content. The reason can be the development of new values in this virtual community and the increase of social control, which is the result of more tweeting with real names and badges.
Hamid Abdollahyan; Hossein Kermani
Abstract
This paper examines how the networked publics on Twitter are taking shape in Iran. While Twitter's role in political events has increased, the systematic study on this issue has not grown as expected. Accordingly, considering the importance of Twitter in Iran as well as the role of networking publics ...
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This paper examines how the networked publics on Twitter are taking shape in Iran. While Twitter's role in political events has increased, the systematic study on this issue has not grown as expected. Accordingly, considering the importance of Twitter in Iran as well as the role of networking publics in Twitter, the first step in analyzing Twitter's role in politics in Iran is to identify and analyze the characteristics and structure of such network publics. The purpose of this research paper, therefore, is to identify and analyze the structure of networking publics on the Persian website. We collected the necessary data during the 25 days of the presidential election of 2017. To do such research, in addition to using the theoretical concept of the public, we have combined the methods of social network analysis and ethnographic content analysis. The modularity of clusters indicates that there are three main clusters in the retweet network as follows: 1- the reformists' cluster, 2- the fundamentalists' cluster, and 3- The immigrant cluster. To describe the features of these three, we identified active users of each one based on the PageRank index. The findings indicate that active users are often made up of journalists, the media, and ordinary citizens. There is also a significant gender gap in the network of publics. Most of the members' accounts of these publics remained active after the election, but the members of these three network publics are different from each other in terms of their true identity..
Hosein Salimi; Peyman Vahabpour
Abstract
Twitter is a social media that provides widespread engagement and interaction possibilities. In the last decade, the media has attracted the attention of politicians, especially diplomats, and has become a platform for the reflection of their priorities, values, and ideas. The use of this infrastructure ...
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Twitter is a social media that provides widespread engagement and interaction possibilities. In the last decade, the media has attracted the attention of politicians, especially diplomats, and has become a platform for the reflection of their priorities, values, and ideas. The use of this infrastructure has created a new type of diplomacy called "Twiplomacy", and more than 92 percent of the member states of the United Nations have a user account and represent their identity and their country on Twitter. In Iran, politicians and diplomats have not been able to keep up with this trend to have an active presence. By using the Ontological Security Theory, this essay seeks to explore how Iranian officials, especially diplomats, can represent the identity and norms of the foreign policy of the Islamic Republic of Iran on Twitter. The main question is how Iranian politicians narrate themselves on Twitter. In order to investigate this question, in addition to Twitter of Iran's Foreign Minister, Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu's tweets were also considered as the main rivals of the Islamic Republic of Iran’s ontological narration on foreign policy. Accordingly, the following criteria were summarized as Iran's foreign policy narratives: First, Iran as a security maker of the region; second, Iran as an economically developing state; third, Iran as a compliant with international obligations; and last, an independent Iran.
nematollah fazeli; mohamad soltanifar; Hojjat Ollah Abbasi
Abstract
In addition to producing and publicating information,Social networks are good platforms for organizational management.The Islamic State (ISIS) plans terrorist operations through social networks, especially Facebook and Twitter.The group advances asks such as the recruitment and organization of forces, ...
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In addition to producing and publicating information,Social networks are good platforms for organizational management.The Islamic State (ISIS) plans terrorist operations through social networks, especially Facebook and Twitter.The group advances asks such as the recruitment and organization of forces, planning and implementation of operations, monitoring and control, guidance and leadership, communication and coordination of terrorist operations through telephony in social networks.Twitter and Facebook social networks have goals, benefits and effective performances for the ISIS group .ISIS's goals in these networks include attracting attention, gaining legitimacy and acceptability, identifying, announcing existence and gaining power.Advantages include global audiences, easy access, network power, high speed, horizontal connectivity, inclusive communications, interactive communication, flexible communications and low cost communications.These networks have the informing function, social mobilization and social solidarity for the ISIS terrorist group and advancing its goals on the international scene.This research was conducted to explain the goals, benefits and functions of Twitter and Facebook social networks for the Islamic State's terrorist group with the aim of identifying, controlling and confronting the phenomenon of media terrorism and reducing the damage caused by it.The data of this research have been collected and analyzed through grounded theory and documentary studies.
