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Iran: Interviews
Key Takeaways from Interviews
Social media adoption in Iran
Social Media is very popular in Iran, especially amongst its youth. Iran is described as a “closed country”; all published material has to be government approved. Because of this, people turn to the internet to network, find friends, and most importantly look for objective sources of news. However the majority of our interviewees report that traditional media (e.g. print, radio and TV) still plays a very important role in Iranian society and cannot be overlooked.
Popular portals in Iran
The number one portal in Iran is Orkut. Other portals such as Twitter, Facebook, Friendfeed, Balatarin.com, and Club.ir are also immensely popular. Iranian social media mainly serves two purposes: Intellectual discourse and leisure. The former purpose is best achieved through Twitter, Friendfeed, and Balatarin.com. Facebook, Yahoo 360 and Club.ir serve the latter.
Social media and Internet usage for Businesses in Iran
Two of our interviewees related that Iranian businesses do not use the internet much, or go far beyond a homepage because firstly, the Internet penetration rate in the country is very low. Secondly, Internet speeds are very slow because of the government’s censorship-related efforts. Traditional media, such as print or radio, is still the best choice of medium to spread messages amongst large numbers of people. The Iranian people predominantly read the newspapers for business-related concerns.
Censorship in Iran
All our interviewees report that the Iranian government exercises heavy censorship over traditional media (i.e. all print, radio and TV channels). The current regime regards the Internet as a threat because people can publish content without restrictions. Of our four interviewees, three do not agree with the government’s measures. One says that “when a person censors words, it means that he does not have the answer for them”. However, our last interviewee believes that censorship in Iran is a necessary evil for the government because it prevents foreign media from “spreading untruths and misrepresenting Iran” on the global stage.
Our Interviewees
Yasser
Yasser, the anonymous author of the blog Under Underground, is a 26 year old Iranian male who graduated with a Microbiology degree from Azad University. He has been actively blogging since 2004. He blogs about Iranian Politics along with his daily life in Iran. Many of his blog posts speak of his frustration with the current regime and are often written with a dark sense of humor. In addition, he sees the writing of the blog as a avenue for him to practice the English language.
Pedestrian
Social media adoption in Iran
Social Media is very popular in Iran, especially amongst its youth. Iran is described as a “closed country”; all published material has to be government approved. Because of this, people turn to the internet to network, find friends, and most importantly look for objective sources of news. However the majority of our interviewees report that traditional media (e.g. print, radio and TV) still plays a very important role in Iranian society and cannot be overlooked.
Popular portals in Iran
The number one portal in Iran is Orkut. Other portals such as Twitter, Facebook, Friendfeed, Balatarin.com, and Club.ir are also immensely popular. Iranian social media mainly serves two purposes: Intellectual discourse and leisure. The former purpose is best achieved through Twitter, Friendfeed, and Balatarin.com. Facebook, Yahoo 360 and Club.ir serve the latter.
Social media and Internet usage for Businesses in Iran
Two of our interviewees related that Iranian businesses do not use the internet much, or go far beyond a homepage because firstly, the Internet penetration rate in the country is very low. Secondly, Internet speeds are very slow because of the government’s censorship-related efforts. Traditional media, such as print or radio, is still the best choice of medium to spread messages amongst large numbers of people. The Iranian people predominantly read the newspapers for business-related concerns.
Censorship in Iran
All our interviewees report that the Iranian government exercises heavy censorship over traditional media (i.e. all print, radio and TV channels). The current regime regards the Internet as a threat because people can publish content without restrictions. Of our four interviewees, three do not agree with the government’s measures. One says that “when a person censors words, it means that he does not have the answer for them”. However, our last interviewee believes that censorship in Iran is a necessary evil for the government because it prevents foreign media from “spreading untruths and misrepresenting Iran” on the global stage.
Our Interviewees
Yasser
Yasser, the anonymous author of the blog Under Underground, is a 26 year old Iranian male who graduated with a Microbiology degree from Azad University. He has been actively blogging since 2004. He blogs about Iranian Politics along with his daily life in Iran. Many of his blog posts speak of his frustration with the current regime and are often written with a dark sense of humor. In addition, he sees the writing of the blog as a avenue for him to practice the English language.
Pedestrian
Pedestrian, like our other interviewee Yasser, writes anonymously for her blog Sidewalklyrics. She is a 25-year-old Iranian female who holds a degree in Engineering from a university in Tehran, Iran. She writes and speaks fluent English as she spent half of her life in Toronto, Canada. As a female who has moved back and forth between Tehran and Toronto, her blog postings are usually politically centered, with emphasis on Iranian politics. Other topics of interests include Iranian culture, the oppressed Iranian female community and the brutality of the West. She takes on a negative stance towards the Iranian political administration and clearly expresses her discontent towards social media and its use/manipulation during the recently concluded elections.
Jadi
Jadi, author of the blog “Inside Iran: Viva Freedom of the Keyboard”, is a 27 year old male telecoms engineer living in Iran. His blog posts mainly focus on politics as well as daily life in Iran. Jadi has been blogging for several years in Persian, but has recently made a switch to writing in the English language. Government authorities had censored his Persian language blog posts, and he decided to make the change. His key interest topics are freedom of expression, internet filtering and human rights.
Fariborz Shamshiri
Fariborz Shamshiri, expresses his political opinion on Rotten Gods. Fariboz utilizes a wide array of social media tools to convey his thoughts and happenings within Iran. His blog has been established since 2007 and is being actively updated on the relevant political happenings. His blogs are being followed by a wide viewer base all around the globe.
Jadi
Jadi, author of the blog “Inside Iran: Viva Freedom of the Keyboard”, is a 27 year old male telecoms engineer living in Iran. His blog posts mainly focus on politics as well as daily life in Iran. Jadi has been blogging for several years in Persian, but has recently made a switch to writing in the English language. Government authorities had censored his Persian language blog posts, and he decided to make the change. His key interest topics are freedom of expression, internet filtering and human rights.
Fariborz Shamshiri
Fariborz Shamshiri, expresses his political opinion on Rotten Gods. Fariboz utilizes a wide array of social media tools to convey his thoughts and happenings within Iran. His blog has been established since 2007 and is being actively updated on the relevant political happenings. His blogs are being followed by a wide viewer base all around the globe.
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, Nov 16 2009, 9:40 AM EST
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interviews
iran
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