Investigating the political - security role of virtual social networks on the national security of the Islamic republic of Iran

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 professor and member of scientific board at Political Sciences College of Islamic Azad University Central Tehran Branch.

2 Associate professor, member of scientific board at Iran broadcasting University

3 Associate professor, member of scientific board at Political Sciences College of Islamic Azad University Central Tehran Branch.

Abstract

In recent decades, the development of new communication technologies has led
to dramatic changes in various aspects of human life and its effects are increasing day by
day. The Internet and now virtual social networks as the backbone of the new information
and communication technologies play a key role in shaping this new process and the emergence
of new economic, cultural, social, security and political spaces. The issue of the role
of these networks in the political-security stability and the pattern of social communications
of societies has become a serious concern in most countries. The purpose of this study is to
investigate the political-security role of social networks and their impact on national security
of the Islamic republic of Iran. The method of this study is qualitative content analysis and its
statistical community consists of experts and elites in the field of security and virtual space.
Sample size in the mentioned group was 13 persons based on saturation of categories and
identified information. Research findings show that virtual social networks are like doubleedged
swords that can create a set of positive and negative actions in the political-security
environment of the Islamic republic of Iran. In the current situation, due to divergent and unintegrated
policy making of virtual space in the Islamic republic of Iran, social networks have
highlighted the country's vulnerability in some aspects of social security. These networks are
now actively working to induce the inefficiency of the Islamic republic of Iran’s system, create
conflict normalization, illegitimatize the structure of the political system, weaken the national
cohesion and create divide between society and sovereignty, create a context for people's
confrontation with the political system and weaken the national beliefs. Furthermore these
networks attempt in the security domain to control the information of users with espionage,
prepare communication tools for subversive groups, collect the information of people and
specific jobs, train destructive trainings in the context of social networks and transfer classified
information to disrupt the national security. Creating a strong structure for policy making,
organizing the country's virtual space and establishing the national network of information
can be effective in resolving many problems in this field.

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