https://mcr.urd.ac.ir/ Media and Communication Research en daily 1 Wed, 19 Mar 2025 00:00:00 +0330 Wed, 19 Mar 2025 00:00:00 +0330 https://mcr.urd.ac.ir/article_237660.html This research analyzes the themes of Surah "Al-Qaṣaṣ" (Q 28) from the perspective of communication science. The conceptual framework of this study is based on categorizing the communications of communities into three types: sacred (between God and the prophets), sacred-mundane (or sacred-secular) (transmitting the message from the prophet to the people), and mundane (social interactions between believers and disbelievers). This research uses the thematic analysis method to examine and formulate the types of communications. The findings of this study indicate that Surah "Al-Qaṣaṣ" explains and defines communications in all three aforementioned domains. In the layer of sacred communications, we examine the characteristics of this type of communication from the perspective of the sender (God) and the receiver (the prophets and the righteous). The research shows that communication at this level is based on inspiration and reassurance. Prominent examples include the inspiration to the mother of Moses (AS) to save her child and the reassurance given to Moses (AS) and the Prophet Muhammad (SAWA) in facing challenges. At the level of sacred-mundane communications, this research analyzes persuasive strategies in transmitting the divine message. In the first part, we address the content of the divine message and analyze the divine traditions (or precedents) narrated in this surah. In the second part, we examine the exhortations and evidences presented in this surah to strengthen the message of the divine prophets. In this section, we analyze the types of rhetorical supports used in this surah to strengthen the message, including miracles, challenges, and authority. In the layer of purely mundane communications, we typologize the social communications of disbelievers and reformers and examine the characteristics that Surah "Al-Qaṣaṣ" attributes to each of these two groups. According to the themes inferred in this section, the communication model of reformers involves turning away from falsehood (laghw) and transforming evil (sayyi'a) into good (ḥasana). However, the communication model of disbelievers is characterized by superiority, arrogance, and disconnection from God. https://mcr.urd.ac.ir/article_237661.html The present research has been conducted with the aim of investigating the "method of psychological operations of the Zionist regime against the resistance and anti-arrogance movement" using the thematic analysis method. A systematic and purposeful examination of the statements of the Leader of the Islamic Revolution of Iran, as the vanguard of the Islamic resistance front, regarding the recent events in Gaza can outline the desired approach in confronting arrogance. Utilizing the theoretical foundations of resistance, anti-arrogance, and psychological operations, this research, through thematic analysis, seeks to answer this question: What is the method of the Zionist regime for psychological operations against the resistance and anti-arrogance movement? To address the research question, his speech at the joint graduation ceremony of students from military universities in Mehr 1402 (September/October 2023) was selected, examined, and analyzed. After selecting and breaking down the propositions of the speech, eighteen basic themes were extracted. By examining semantic similarities, theme frequencies, and code percentages, four overarching themes were ultimately formed from the organizing themes. The research findings indicate that the Zionist regime, by creating psychological operations and using the technique of playing the victim, seeks to cleanse public opinion. Therefore, the resistance front, in line with anti-arrogance, defending the oppressed, and fighting the oppressor, must confront Zionist arrogance with greater vigilance than before. https://mcr.urd.ac.ir/article_237663.html This study seeks to offer unique insights into the responses of Iranian web users to the 2022 unrest in Iran. Examining users' "concept seeking" behavior during periods of turmoil yields valuable insights into public sentiments and sheds light on topics of significance for Iranian internet users during such events. The theoretical framework of this study draws from theories of representation, foregrounding, and cultivation. Employing a qualitative and exploratory research approach, data was gathered through Google Trends and displays of information behaviors. Subsequently, content analysis was conducted to analyze the collected data. Key findings of this research include: limited response from the majority of Iranian society to the unrest; most users engaging with entertainment, sexual content, and food-related topics; neutrality observed among a significant portion of society; positive impact of internet filtering leading to reduced usage of foreign social networks, with a concurrent increase in usage of domestic social networks. https://mcr.urd.ac.ir/article_237665.html Virtual social networks and information literacy play a significant and fundamental role in shaping our perception of the surrounding world. The challenges of cyberspace have led to the fading of Iranian cultural values and the fragmentation of this culture. This research examines the role and position of virtual networks and the level of information literacy in the formation of modern identity among youth. This study employed the qualitative Grounded Theory method and the Strauss and Corbin paradigmatic model for data analysis. After collection, the data were analyzed through three stages of coding: open, axial, and selective. Indeed, ultimately, five main categories—causal conditions, contextual conditions, intervening conditions, strategies, and consequences—along with the relationships between them, were extracted in the form of a self-explanatory interpretive narrative of the data through selective coding. The results indicate a significant relationship between lifestyle and the digitalization of media consumption, duration of membership, level of information literacy, and the intensity of dependence on virtual social networks. This means that as the duration of membership, level of use and activity in unethical educational spaces, lack of media literacy, and exposure to inappropriate educational content in the use of virtual networks increase, the formation of a modern identity with a threatening and harmful approach among youth becomes more pronounced. https://mcr.urd.ac.ir/article_238768.html With the widespread adoption of virtual social networks and the intertwining of the concept of "self" with them, the methods of identity construction during adolescence have undergone transformation. These networks have become tools for the representation of the "self". This research examines how the dimensions and components of identity and the media body of adolescent users are represented. For this purpose, the profiles, posts, stories, and highlights shared on 35 pages belonging to Iranian adolescents were analyzed using Barthes' semiotic method. The findings of this research indicate that self-expression has taken on a performative form, and expressing identity through "self-display" is the dominant mode of identity representation on adolescent Instagram pages, with other types of identity emerging through it. Adolescents have expressed their authenticity and ethnic identity through clothing, music, poetry, and language. Their interest in historical places, traditional instruments and melodies, poems by prominent Iranian poets, and overall Iranian culture and art indicates the territorial dimension of national identity. The androgynous appearance of boys, the seductive poses of girls, and taking stances on the social conditions of women point to gender identity. On Instagram, the display and objectification of the body, influenced by capitalist ideology and views on women influenced by radical feminist ideology, have taken on a mythological form. However, although nationalism and ethnicism have used the Instagram platform for their emergence and reinforcement, they have not become universal or naturalized trends. Overall, with photography being directed towards presenting a narrative of life, a space has been created for Iranian adolescents to construct fluid visual identities. https://mcr.urd.ac.ir/article_238769.html This article examines the legal system of digital advertising and political persuasion in cyberspace, which plays a key role in protecting citizens' rights and ensuring the health of the political and media environment. The research objectives include a critical analysis of existing regulations and the proposal of a legal framework based on the principles of transparency, data protection, and countering misinformation. In this documentary research method, data were collected from reliable sources, including academic articles, official reports, national and international laws, and media theories. This method has enabled an extensive review of the subject literature, comparison of legal systems, and regulatory frameworks with an analytical approach. The results of the study indicate that the evolution of digital technologies, especially the widespread use of big data and targeted algorithms, has turned political advertising into an effective tool for shaping political attitudes and behaviors. However, problems such as micro-targeting, privacy violations, dissemination of misinformation, and the lack of a coherent legal system pose serious threats to democratic health and citizens' rights. The research emphasizes the necessity of revising the design of the legal system to align with Iran's national and cultural values, in a way that ensures financial transparency in advertising, platform accountability, and the development of media literacy are considered as core components for guaranteeing the health of the digital space. The proposed model draws inspiration from international experiences such as the GDPR and the DSA, offering practical solutions for consolidating the legal and regulatory framework, which can ensure the protection of citizens' rights and strengthen democratic processes. https://mcr.urd.ac.ir/article_237667.html The present research examines the typology of "silence" as a form of nonverbal communication within the context of intergenerational communication in Iranian families. In this study, silence is not considered merely the absence of speech but rather a multilayered and meaningful phenomenon that, depending on the context, can carry explicit or hidden meanings, either strengthening or weakening relationships. In recent decades, the generational gap in Iran has become more prominent in behavioral, communicative, attitudinal, value-based, and skill dimensions—a phenomenon fueled by technology, globalization, and lifestyle changes. This research was conducted using a mixed-methods approach. Drawing on the theoretical frameworks of Kurzon, Hakin, Inglehart, and Berger & Luckmann, silence was analyzed in forms such as conversational silence, thematic silence, situational silence, textual silence, and action-oriented silence. In the qualitative section, five main dimensions of generational differences were extracted from interviews with experts. In the quantitative section, these dimensions were tested by distributing questionnaires among 131 teachers.The results of the analysis indicate that the role of silence is significant in all dimensions of generational differences. Furthermore, the silence patterns of the older generation are predominantly cautious and conventional, framed within preserving values and responsibility, whereas the new generation's silence is largely assessed as action-oriented and purposeful. The findings suggest that silence in families has become a tool for coping with tension, avoiding conflict, or managing interactions. Finally, strengthening intergenerational dialogue and teaching media literacy are suggested as strategies to reduce cultural disconnection.  https://mcr.urd.ac.ir/article_237668.html Concurrent with technological advancements and increasing dependence on cyberspace, the role of virtual social networks in strengthening brand credibility and formulating advertising strategies has become progressively more complex and critical. Marketing based on virtual social networks helps brands, in addition to introducing products, become integrated as part of the culture and daily life of customers, which directly reinforces the brand's credibility and position. The aim of this research is to investigate the impact of virtual social networks on brand credibility and the enhancement of advertising strategies. This study was conducted with a qualitative approach using thematic analysis, facilitated by semi-structured interviews with 13 marketing managers, continuing until the saturation point was reached. In this research, 284 codes were identified; subsequently, the identified codes were categorized and combined based on conceptual similarity. Accordingly, the extracted codes were classified into 19 sub-categories, and the identified categories were organized into four main categories: Opportunities (speed and responsiveness, user feedback and continuous service improvement, marketing productivity and effectiveness, brand reinforcement and development), Challenges (technological and platform challenges, strategy and resource management challenges, competitive and differentiation challenges, audience management and cultural interaction challenges), User Perception and Brand Trust (quality management and innovation, social and ethical responsibility, customer trust and loyalty management, customer interaction and communication management, brand identity and image management), and Advertising Strategy Optimization (effective advertising, data-driven advertising, targeted advertising, content production and management, crisis management and continuous improvement, advertising tools and methods). https://mcr.urd.ac.ir/article_237666.html The media, as an important cultural and social instrument in the social construction of reality, has in recent years attempted to address problems related to the representation of disability.  Cinema, as an element of this system, has also moved towards producing films with disability subjects. However, the notable question is: What image has cinema depicted of disability, particularly childhood disability? This article seeks to analyze the socio-cultural components of childhood disability in the film "A Time for Loving." The theoretical framework of the research is based on Laclau and Mouffe's discourse theory, which, by emphasizing the central signifier, floating signifiers, and identity construction within power relations, enables the analysis of the semantic system of disability representation. At the methodological level, a discourse analysis approach was employed. For this purpose, the complete dialogue text of the film was collected, data were coded, and central and floating signifiers were extracted. Findings indicate that the discourse of the film "A Time for Loving" is structured around the central signifier of "childhood disability" and floating signifiers such as "middle class," "family rejection," "anger," "violence," "sacrifice," and "secrecy." Two dominant discursive orders were identified in this film: the discourse of violence and the discourse of social rejection. The results of the study suggest that while the representation of disability in this film reproduces some cultural stereotypes, it also possesses the capacity to raise public awareness and change attitudes towards the situation of children with disabilities—a potential that can be instructive for cultural policy-making and future cinematic productions. https://mcr.urd.ac.ir/article_237669.html In computer games, death is not merely a mechanical or narrative event but possesses a multilayered functionality within the structure of narration, agency, and moral consequences. Problematizing the question of how death in computer games acquires meaning at the levels of narration, choice, and consequence design, this article analyzes the representation of death as a diegetic, structural, and signifying act. The primary objective of the research is to explore the manner in which death is encoded in different game contexts and to explain its relationship with player agency and the choice-consequence structure in interactive narratives. Using a qualitative approach and the method of critical semiotics, the article analyzes a set of notable computer games as media texts. The findings indicate that death in these games not only has narrative functions such as a turning point, ending, or complication but also carries moral and semantic weight that is activated through the design of player choices and narrative consequences. In many games, death serves as a tool to emphasize player responsibility and to represent concepts such as guilt, sacrifice, or failure. Furthermore, genre diversity leads to differences in the patterns of death representation; for instance, in action-narrative games, death carries emotional weight, while in roguelikes, it embodies a cyclical structure and the meaning of recreation. This research aims to, by focusing on the game itself as a narrative-media text, provide a theoretical approach to death in games and facilitate a reconsideration of the semantic potentials of computer games. https://mcr.urd.ac.ir/article_237670.html The present research was conducted with the aim of investigating the effectiveness of media insight training on the media literacy of female high school students in the city of Meybod. This research is quasi-experimental and was carried out as a pretest, posttest, and follow-up with a control group. The statistical population of the research includes all female high school students in Meybod town who were studying in the academic year 2024-2025. Thirty students were selected using convenience sampling based on inclusion and exclusion criteria and were randomly assigned to a 15-person experimental group and a 15-person control group. First, a pretest was administered to both groups using the Media Literacy Questionnaire. Subsequently, media insight training was implemented for the experimental group, while the control group received training unrelated to media insight. After the training period, a posttest was administered to both groups again. The obtained findings were then analyzed using repeated measures analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) with SPSS software. The results of the covariance analysis indicated that for each of the research variables, there was a significant difference between the intervention and control groups in the posttest after removing the effect of the pretest (p < 0.001). Media insight training increased the understanding of media message content by 81%, awareness of the hidden objectives of media messages by 90%, critical view of media messages by 78%, analysis of media messages by 70%, and ultimately the total media literacy score by 79%. https://mcr.urd.ac.ir/article_237671.html The "Metaverse" has become a pivotal concept in rethinking the future of humanity, technology, and society in the digital age. Rooted in science fiction narratives, this concept has now entered the public sphere with the support of major technology and media corporations, shaping part of contemporary cultural imagination. Relying on David Hesmondhalgh's theory of cultural industries and utilizing a thematic analysis approach, the present research examines the mode of representation of the Metaverse in two prominent works of Hollywood science fiction cinema: "Ready Player One" and three seasons of the series "Upload." The main focus is on the following question: How does Hollywood cinema, as part of the global cultural industries, represent the Metaverse to reproduce and normalize the logic of digital capitalism, particularly corporate surveillance and class inequality? The findings indicate that cinema represents the Metaverse as an attractive, consumerist space that aligns with corporate power interests and neoliberal logic. This representation portrays an ideological future, naturalizing corporate dominance, consumerism, and digital inequality. https://mcr.urd.ac.ir/article_243448.html This article adopts an analytical–critical approach to examine the safeguarding role of digital ethics in protecting user privacy within Instagram’s algorithmic environment. The central problem addressed is the tension between the platform’s architecture, which promotes maximal self-disclosure, and the ethical necessity of preserving privacy. Using a qualitative research design, the study combines directed qualitative document analysis with the analysis of digital field data and draws on a multi-level theoretical framework integrating surveillance capitalism, contextual integrity, and virtue ethics. The findings indicate that privacy on Instagram is a dynamic and fragile phenomenon shaped by the interaction of users’ moral agency, interpersonal relationships, and the platform’s algorithmic logic. Rather than being solely an individual choice or a purely structural condition, privacy emerges as an ethical practice negotiated across multiple levels. The article argues that digital ethics can function as a protective mechanism operating simultaneously at the individual level (through the cultivation of techno-moral virtues), the interpersonal level (through informed consent), and the structural level (through demands for algorithmic transparency and ethics-by-design). https://mcr.urd.ac.ir/article_243449.html This study adopts a genealogical approach, using documentary analysis and historical etymology to trace the transformation of the concept of political support in the West from pre-modern Europe to the age of digital fandoms. It seeks to explain the transition from religious followership to political fandom and to assess its implications for democracy. The findings show that political support has passed through three paradigms of legitimacy: a theological paradigm in pastoral and feudal societies, where support meant absolute obedience and fealty to pastoral power; a legal–rational paradigm during the Enlightenment and the rise of modern political parties, grounded in consent and the social contract; and an affective–spectacular paradigm in the era of media convergence, manifested in political fandom. The study identifies a cyclical pattern in which communication technologies act as the main drivers of change, such that the digital age—despite its modern tools—has reinforced emotionally driven identity-based support, replacing party rationality with emotional capital, personalizing politics, and paving the way for new forms of populism and for the transformation of the citizen into a supporter. https://mcr.urd.ac.ir/article_243450.html This study investigates the dominant value theory governing the structural design and operational functionality of Instagram. The central hypothesis posits that Instagram's architecture is dominated by a framework of quantitative collective egoism, wherein the ethical valuation of decisions is defined through measurable outcomes serving Meta's corporate interests (user growth, engagement, and revenue). To substantiate this claim, a mixed analytical methodology was employed, integrating: (1) a socio-historical analysis of Instagram's evolutionary trajectory; (2) an intellectual sociology of Mark Zuckerberg as the principal architect of Meta's ideological framework; and (3) a structural-psychological examination of algorithmic architecture and platform design mechanisms. The findings reveal that Instagram has progressively diverged from its founders' original ethos—centered on simplicity, aesthetics, and qualitative user experience—and has increasingly internalized Meta's corporate, growth-driven logic. The structural-psychological analysis further demonstrates that core features, including the algorithmic feed, Explore page, and psychological mechanisms (such as the Hook Model and dark patterns), are systematically engineered to maximize user engagement. The ethical ramifications of this framework encompass predictable harms to mental health (particularly among adolescents), erosion of public discourse quality, and attenuation of user autonomy. Finally, acknowledging the attendant socio-political challenges and costs, the article proposes actionable pathways toward ethically-grounded design, encompassing enhanced algorithmic transparency, design prioritizing user well-being, fostering healthy public discourse, and ensuring robust privacy protections. https://mcr.urd.ac.ir/article_243451.html The aim of this article is to identify the opportunities and threats of artificial intelligence in the field of news from the perspective of journalists, with an emphasis on Mehr News Agency, ISNA, Tasnim, and IRNA. In this study, the statistical population includes 950 journalists active in these news agencies, 274 of whom were selected using a stratified sampling method. The data collection tool was a researcher-made questionnaire that was used to calculate the validity of some professors and experts and to monitor the reliability of the Cronbach's alpha questionnaire, which was confirmed by the items (alpha = 0.89). For data analysis, one-sample t-tests, independent t-tests, Kolmogorov-Smirnov tests, and variance tests were used. The findings indicate that the most important opportunities of artificial intelligence in the field of news include improving the quality of content production in the media with an average of 4.23 and editing and content production processes with an average of 4.14. In contrast, threats from artificial intelligence also include the threat of limiting human creativity with an average of 4.67 and creating excessive media dependence on technology with an average of 4.33. In general, it can be stated that opportunities from artificial intelligence with an average of 3.81 were evaluated more than its threats with an average of 3.76. https://mcr.urd.ac.ir/article_244590.html The purpose of this study was to identify the challenges of cyberspace governance in Iranian universities from the perspectives of three key stakeholder groups: university administrators, students, and communication experts. The main research question was: What are the primary challenges of cyberspace governance in the university context, and how do these challenges emerge through the interaction of stakeholders’ viewpoints? The research adopted a qualitative approach using thematic analysis. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with 21 participants (7 administrators, 8 students, and 6 communication experts) from three public universities in Bandar Abbas, Minab, and Qeshm, and were analyzed using MAXQDA 2022 software. The findings revealed four main themes: (1) cultural-identity barriers stemming from the tension between academic identity and the security-oriented institutional framework; (2) structural-institutional barriers resulting from institutional fragmentation and policy incoherence; (3) technological barriers** arising from inadequate infrastructure and a shortage of skilled personnel; and (4) individual barriers driven by administrators’ control-oriented mindset and students’ sense of digital insecurity. The central conclusion is that cyberspace governance in Iranian universities is not primarily a technical issue, but rather a structural-identity crisis that requires a fundamental rethinking of the conceptual framework of digital governance. https://mcr.urd.ac.ir/article_244917.html Using a grounded theory approach, this qualitative study examines the relationships among categories and concepts of health communication governance within a conceptual model. Data were collected through in-depth, purposeful interviews with 31 academic experts and professionals in the fields of health and media in Urmia. Through theoretical sampling and multiple stages of open, axial, and selective coding, the findings were qualitatively analyzed to identify the most effective governance strategies for shaping and stabilizing health-oriented behaviors through modern and digital communication tools. The analysis resulted in two core concepts—health-oriented behaviors and health communication governance—along with eight axial categories and twenty-five open categories. The results indicate that health communication governance fundamentally depends on two key components: communication and collaboration among policymaking and executive institutions as essential requirements for development programs. This governance framework should adopt an interdisciplinary approach encompassing education, health, communication, social sciences, psychology, anthropology, and sociology. Moreover, adopting a development-oriented perspective by governing bodies, avoiding sectoral fragmentation, respecting local traditions, promoting cultural awareness, empowering communities through effective information dissemination, and leveraging the capacities of modern media are among the most significant outcomes of this study for enhancing development impacts and preserving public health. https://mcr.urd.ac.ir/article_245939.html The present study aims to develop an indigenous conceptual model for the systematization of content on digital platforms, with a particular emphasis on fostering cultural literacy within domestic messaging applications. The central problem addressed is the absence of a coherent and affirmative framework in the existing literature capable of shifting content systematization from a predominantly legal–restrictive approach toward an educational and developmental orientation. Although extensive discussions on content governance and regulation exist, a comprehensive model that meaningfully connects macro-level policy frameworks with micro-level cultural objectives remains underdeveloped. Methodologically, the research is based on a systematic review and meta-synthesis of domestic (2015–2025) and international (2016–2025) scholarly publications indexed in reputable academic databases. A total of 39 articles directly related to the triad of “governance,” “content,” and “culture” were selected. Key concepts were extracted and analyzed through axial coding and comparative categorization within a meta-synthesis process. Findings indicate that content systematization in digital platforms can be conceptualized across three interrelated domains: (1) soft, trust-building governance dimensions; (2) interactive, value-oriented content production and management components; and (3) outcomes related to enhancing users’ cultural literacy capacities. The integration of these domains results in a three-dimensional conceptual model in which content systematization functions as a strategic mediating approach linking macro-level governance policies to micro-level developmental goals. The proposed model offers practical implications for policymakers and managers of domestic messaging platforms seeking to strengthen institutional trust and promote sustainable cultural literacy development. https://mcr.urd.ac.ir/article_245940.html This study aimed to investigate the impact of Instagram on the self-esteem and body satisfaction of active mothers. The theoretical framework is based on Festinger's "Social Comparison Theory," which explains that continuous exposure to unattainable images and ideals in visual media leads to upward comparisons, internalization of ideals, and the deterioration of self-concept. In this mixed-methods (quantitative-qualitative) design, 385 mothers were assessed using the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, Physical Appearance Comparison Scale (PACS-R), and Body Shape Questionnaire (BSQ), while the experiences of 32 individuals were analyzed through interviews. Findings indicated that daily usage exceeding 3 hours is associated with a significant decline in self-esteem and increased body dissatisfaction. These negative impacts are significantly more severe among followers of fashion, beauty, and fitness pages compared to those following general content. Qualitative analysis confirmed that Instagram impairs mental health and family relationships by fostering unhealthy comparisons, perfectionism pressure, the need for social validation, and consumerism. Ultimately, both the duration of use and the type of content consumed play a decisive role, highlighting the necessity of enhancing mothers' media literacy.