درخت حوزه‌های تخصصی

Background: Self-development microcelebrities constitute a distinct and rapidly expanding subtype within the broader culture of fame. These figures primarily operate within the digital self-help domain, offering audiences simplified psychological and lifestyle concepts that promise personal transformation through adherence to their guidance. Contemporary self-help discourse is rooted in the positive psychology movement that gained traction in the United States during the late 20th century and is heavily influenced by neoliberal ideologies that emphasize individual agency and responsibility. Aims: In this research, Instagram pages of Iranian self-development microcelebrities were studied to understand what they share with their audience and the various methods they employ to engage with them. Methodology: This study analyzes the Instagram accounts of Iranian self-development microcelebrities with follower counts exceeding 300,000, using a thematic analysis approach. Initially, each account was analyzed individually, followed by a cross-case analysis to identify recurring thematic patterns. Findings: The analysis revealed three overarching themes—pseudoscience, the primacy of luck and the inner self, and self-made rules—comprising seven organizing themes and 31 basic themes. The findings indicate that these microcelebrities promote a form of hyper-individualism aligned with neoliberal values. Conclusion: This model of subjectivity emphasizes psychological self-regulation and inner transformation while detaching individuals from social and political engagement.

Background: Afghans are the main group of migrants in Iran, and in recent years, their presence has been met with negative reactions from the Iranian public. For example, recently on Twitter, hashtags such as #Expel_Afghans_a_National_Demand (in Persian: # اخراج_افغانی_مطالبه_ملی ) have been widely used by Iranian users. Aims: This study aims to examine Iranian users' perspectives on Afghans by analyzing tweets written with this hashtag about Afghans living in Iran. Methodology: Using thematic analysis, it investigates the negative views expressed by Iranian users. This analysis is based on Bennett’s six-stage model of intercultural sensitivity. The extracted themes from these tweets include five main categories: dissatisfaction with the lifestyle and behaviors of Afghans living in Iran, financial-related dissatisfaction, nationalism-related dissatisfaction, xenophobia-related dissatisfaction, and dissatisfaction due to internal factors. Finding: The dissatisfaction of Iranians toward Afghans aligns with the Defense stage of Bennett’s model, as this stage is characterized by individuals distinguishing between themselves and others, perceiving their own culture as superior, and viewing other cultures as inferior. Conclusion: Based on the themes present in the tweets, it seems that some targeted actions can help reduce xenophobia and counter dominant narratives.

Background: Following the Islamic Revolution and the expansion of access to visual media, the use of this media in Shia rituals, such as religious gatherings ( hey’ats ), significantly increased. In recent years, a new form of Shia ritual, referred to as “public communities”, has emerged which organized by cultural institutions. These communities differ markedly from traditional Shia-Iranian rituals and have established a distinct communicative domain. Aims: This study aims to critically examine these events by identifying their constitutive components and analyzing the nature of their mediatization. Methodology: Three events held in the Iranian calendar year 1401 were analyzed using a qualitative content analysis approach. These Shia-revolutionary performative rituals are categorized into two main domains: the “Public construction of the ritual” and the “construction of the presence and positioning of the subject”. Their media representation is also shaped by two principal categories: the “transitionalization of the communication mode” and “ideological representation”. Findings: Our findings indicate that the organization and media representation of these events produce a spectacular pseudo-ritual that significantly diverges from traditional Shia rituals in Iran. Conclusion: These events have been organized and represented in ways that prioritize spectacle, visibility, and media populism, thus enabling a transformation in ritual structures and indicating a growing tendency toward mediatization in Iran.

Background: Social media has enabled both intentional and incidental user exposure to diverse cultures and subcultures. This exposure fosters the socialization of similar cultural elements or produces changes in original cultural patterns through cyber-acculturation, which arises from continuous contact with culturally distinct groups. Aims: This study aimed to develop models of social media users’ cyber-acculturation in their exposure to cyber-subcultures. Methodology: Using a Q methodology research design, the study employed convenience snowball sampling and an online questionnaire to collect data from 52 participants, who freely rated 61 statements derived from interviews. Exploratory Factor Analysis, treating participants as variables, was conducted to identify distinct cyber-acculturation models. To further examine the characteristics of each factor, network analysis was applied. Discussions: Users demonstrated varying patterns of cyber-acculturation. Comparable to the model proposed by Sam and Berry (2006)— which outlines the strategies of assimilation, separation, integration, and marginalization— this study identified five distinct models of social media users’ acculturation in exposure to cyber-subcultures: 1) Conservative Socialization Adopters, 2) Media-Literate Non-Adopters, 3) Media-Literate Acculturation Adopters, 4) Change-Aspirant Semi Non-Adopters, and 5) Risk-Taking Socialization Adopters. Each of these categories, to some extent, reflects the integration strategy, particularly motivated by social mobility, self-actualization, well-being, and personal advancement. Conclusion: Understanding the variations in how users adopt cultural elements enables governance bodies, policymakers, and professionals in media, culture, and education to design and implement more effective measures with greater impact across different user types.

Background: Social identity theory suggests that individuals define themselves partly through their membership in social groups, and these identities shape attitudes and behaviors, including consumption choices. Brands increasingly function as social symbols, allowing users to express group belonging, self-concept, and shared values through brand affiliation. Consequently, users’ social identities can significantly influence their intention to purchase a brand by strengthening emotional attachment, perceived congruence, and loyalty toward brands that represent their in-group. Aims: Consumers like to associate themselves with different brands to represent their social identity. This study suggests a social identity perspective of customer-brand relationship and integrates brand identity with social media usage, electronic WOM (eWOM) and brand loyalty in predicting brand purchase intention in an online environment. Methodology: Data were collected through a questionnaire-based survey among a sample of higher education students in a public university in Iran. A sample of 423 respondents was selected through a convenience sampling technique. Data were then analyzed through Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) to provide a prediction-oriented model assessment by LISREL 8.54. Sobel mediation tests were performed to test the mediating effects of social media use, eWOM and brand loyalty on the relationship between social identity and brand purchase intention. Findings: The findings indicated that social identity (affective, cognitive, and evaluative) of users/consumers has a significant impact on: (a) social media use, (b) eWOM about brand, and (c) brand loyalty. Social media use and brand loyalty were found to be the determinants of eWOM about brand. Finally, this research found that all three variables of: (a) social media use, (b) eWOM about brand, and (c) brand loyalty are the main determinants of intention to purchase a certain brand. Conclusion: This research suggests that social identity perspective can be integrated with other perspectives to model the consumer's psychological path to brand purchase intentions. This study confirms the critical role of social identification of users in the reaction towards a given brand and stresses the mediation effects of social media use, brand loyalty and eWOM on the effects of social identity on the path to brand purchase intention.

Background: Background: In Iran, following the introduction of modern technologies, various social groups have responded to them, among whom “Tolab” constitute one category. Due to their religious authority within Iranian society, seminarians exert both direct and indirect influence on people’s social lives. Aims: This study aims to explore how Hawzeh members engage with artificial intelligence (AI) as a manifestation of modern technology, by examining Hawzeh media such as journals and news agencies, and to explain its relationship with modernity and technological application approaches. Methodology: 122 texts from Hawzeh media over a two-year period were selected and analyzed using thematic analysis. Ultimately, three main categories were identified: “Understanding the Nature of Artificial Intelligence among Hawzeh Members”, “The Relationship between Power and Artificial Intelligence among Hawzeh Members”, and “The Operational Attention of the Hawzeh to Artificial Intelligence”. Findings: Hawzeh media perceive AI as having a variable nature, which can be utilized depending on the intention, design, and use by its users. Conclusion: The experience of the People of the Hawzeh with AI demonstrates that the systematic form of religion can also be integrated with technology as a product of modern science, because it is not entirely anti-modern, nor is it modern and subjective in the sense of defining its existence solely as a specific mode of being.

Background: The rapid development of technology and computing has significantly impacted modern societies, leading to increased opportunities for wealth creation and, inversely, transactional offending. Cybercrimes are increasing and have become a major threat to nations, governments, businesses, and individuals, resulting in financial losses, reputational damage, and personal information data breaches. Aims: This study explores how the South African Police Service (SAPS) responds to and combats cybercrimes. Methodology: This research was conducted in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal. The study adopted the qualitative research approach and the phenomenological research design, according to which interpretive and constructivist qualitative research paradigms were deemed appropriate. Data was collected through in-depth interviews using semi-structured interviews, with a sample of 17 participants purposively drawn from the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (DPCI) and the Commercial Crimes Unit (CCI) of the South African Police Service (SAPS). The theoretical orientation that guided the study is the Structural Functionalism Theory. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis. Findings: The study revealed that South Africa has been experiencing an increase in cybercrimes. However, has introduced laws and security strategies, such as the Cybercrime and Cybersecurity Bill of 2017, to respond to cybercrimes. However, these are argued to be not adapting fast enough to the constantly changing technological environment. Conclusion: Although limited, there are Police forensic experts in the field who can respond to cybercrimes. The study emphasizes the need for collaboration among all stakeholders, including prosecutors, the judiciary, private security agencies, CSPs, and ISPs, to effectively tackle cybercrimes.