The Role of Social Media Platforms in Political Protests in Iran During 2009 and 2017-9 Events
Date
2020-09-25
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
ORCID
Type
Thesis
Degree Level
Masters
Abstract
This research project examines the role of social media in political activism with a particular focus on the unfolding events of protests in Iran during the years 2009 and 2017 to 2019. Social media platforms provide tools for people to gather, document, and publish information in the online sphere. Also, these tools provide an opportunity to connect millions of users together so that they can share their thoughts and experiences. Social media has the power to help people in organizing protests to challenge the established governments. In Iran in 2009, a series of political unrest happened following the presidential election in that year. Twitter and Facebook played a significant role in uniting people to document the events and share them with the Western media. During the years 2017-9, the Iranian protestors used social media platforms such as Telegram and Instagram to share information for the internal audience inside the country. The Iranian government’s response to these two major social media political activism was different because nature and the intended audiences were different. In 2009, the regime’s responses were mostly gatekeeping and disinformation campaigns. In 2017-9 events, policing and military measures such as arresting activists and shutting down telecommunication services were more prominent.
Description
Keywords
social media, politics, Iran
Citation
Degree
Master of Arts (M.A.)
Department
English
Program
English