Relationship of World Wide Web with Cultural and Religious Changes in Users

Subject Areas : Journal of Cultural Management

Mohammadreza Tajik ¹ (ندارد)
Nazanin Kazemini ² (مسئول مکاتبات)

Received: 2014-03-11 Accepted : 2014-06-02 Published : 2013-12-22

Keywords: Internet, Cyberspace, Cultural Changes, Religious Changes, Ethnic Variations,

Abstract :

Introduction and Purpose: Cultural change or evolution is a process by which the different elements of a culture are changed and adjusted over time. Internet as a media causes cultural changes. So, it gives the people the opportunity to offer their ideas and values to each other. The main purpose of this paper is to survey the relationship between cyberspace (Internet) and the operators’ cultural and religious changes.Research Methodology: The present research is of applied research type by objective, of qualitative data type and of descriptive-survey and correlational research by nature and methodology. The statistical population of the present research includes 28000 students of Islamic Azad University, Tehran Sciences and Research Campus, of which 380 students were elected using Kerjesi – Morgan Table, by simple sampling.Findings: The results indicated that there is a significant relationship between the rate of internet use and cultural changes, lifestyle changes and ethnic variations. However, there is no relationship between rate of internet use and religious changes.Conclusions: In terms of cultural and religious changes, the emergence of the information and network society, influenced by the development of the communication, information technologies and cyberspace, led to expansion of public and social space of the communities and countries which strengthened new individuality along with the needs, desires, manners, attitudes and values; however, it did not lead to the fact that the cultural beliefs and assumptions of the Iranian society with their religious origins cause rupture and disintegration arising from these changes.