The Study of the Role of Social Networks in Raising Awareness in Women in regard to Political Issues

Subject Areas : Iranian Sociological Review

Seyed Morteza Bani Fatemeh ¹ , Mehrdad Navabakhsh ² , Abdolreza Adhami ³

1 - Ph.D. Student of Sociology, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran
2 - Professor of Sociology, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran
3 - Associate Professor of Sociology, North Tehran Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran

Received: 2023-12-14 Accepted : 2023-12-14 Published : 2023-12-01

Keywords: women's political awareness, Social Networks, women, Communications, Survey,

Abstract :

The present study aims to investigate the role of social networks in raising awareness in women in regard to social issues. The magnitude of internet usage, as well as registering on social networks platforms via cellphones, has seen a significant rise in recent years. Despite the widespread nature of social networks in society, the presence of women on such platforms and its effect on their lives is of considerable sociological importance. In addition to a review of the public climate of the matter and some of the theories regarding the relationship between women and communication technology, the present study chiefly focuses on critical theories on the subject and attempts to study how women have encountered handled social networks. The research method employed here is survey, and the statistical population consisted of all female residents of the city of Tehran. The sample size is comprised of 458 persons who were selected through a multi-stage sampling method. Factors whose role in women's political awareness was evaluated consisted of: the family's social and economic status, membership and active presence on social networks platforms, education, ethnicity, and age groups. The findings reveal that social networks lead to an increase in women's level of social communication and information, as well as a relative increase in their participation and awareness regarding various issues, including political, social, cultural, and educational. The author believes that the existence of such structures as a patriarchal build of society, lack of sufficient skill, lack of a feeling of safety on social networks, illiteracy, and the lack of sufficient skill among women challenges overly optimistic theories regarding the empowerment and encouragement of women's presence on social networks to some extent, at least concerning the issues investigated in the present study.