Cyber-Subcultures

Purpose : Social media governance is a multifaceted and complex sociotechnical process, particularly when exposure to different cyber- subcultures leads to acculturation and subsequent cultural change. This research addresses the cyber-acculturation dilemma in the context of social media governance. Method : We explored the opinions of 18 Iranian media experts through online interviews to examine the manageability of the cyber-acculturation process and the measures that may guide users toward adopting positive aspects of cyber-subcultures while avoiding negative ones. Using a basic qualitative approach, we employed Braun and Clarke's thematic analysis with an inductive (bottom-up) method for data analysis. Findings : Our findings are presented in a thematic map of social media governance for cyber acculturation, which includes: Infrastructural Measures (10 sub-themes); Educational Measures (Cultural, Moral, and Media Literacy Education); Cultural Measures (6 sub-themes); Media-Based Measures (4 sub-themes); and Social Control Measures (Formal and Informal Social Control, and Inaction). We also acknowledge the unmanageable aspects of cyber acculturation (the inherent nature of acculturation and social media, and the indefinability of comprehensive criteria). Conclusion : This research contributes to ongoing debates on how governments can govern social media and cyber acculturation in the context of exposure to cyber-subcultures. The suggested map can inform governments about the nature of cyber acculturation and cyber-subcultures, enabling them to govern social media more effectively.

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.