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Shahin Sadegh Zadeh Milan

To express opinions and measure the success of civil activists in using social networks, we must first define the term “civil activists”; many of whom introduce themselves as civil or human rights activists. Individuals who engage in political, civil, and human rights activities on social networks have different goals and desires, and their success depends on their goals. In the following article, several types of activities in the virtual space are mentioned and their success is examined.

A. Election activity.

Perhaps the most successful group among activists who use social media to pursue their goals are the reformists. This success, however, is mostly related to their electoral activities and encouraging Iranian citizens to participate in the elections of the Islamic Republic, rather than achieving political development goals. In recent years, during elections, reformist activists have played a significant role in encouraging citizens, especially young people, to participate in the elections of the Islamic Republic by publishing electoral lists, political content, posters, and creating excitement on social media. The widespread dissemination of Mohammad Khatami’s video message on the eve of the seventh of Esfand 94 (February 26, 2016) was a prominent example of the success of these activists in using social networks. Since this type of activity can be extended to the real world and its results are tangible in the short term, it achieves more success compared to other civil activities in the virtual space.

B. Specific action to stop executions, release prisoners, or end hunger strikes.

This type of activity is less successful in the virtual space. Although in some cases, such as the hunger strike of Morteza Moradpour and Arash Sadeghi, successes are achieved, but overall it can be said that this type of activity cannot be effective in many cases. Firstly, the number of prisoners whose rights are violated is much greater than the ability to form an effective campaign for them. Secondly, political differences often hinder the widespread support for a prisoner; unfortunately, defending the rights of an individual is still seen as support or sympathy for their beliefs. Thirdly, after creating consecutive campaigns for different prisoners, the virtual space becomes saturated and there is no potential for repetitive and useless campaigns. Fourthly, the success of these campaigns ultimately depends on the behavior of the Islamic Republic and is beyond the control of the campaign organizers. Therefore, success in these campaigns is rarely seen.

Virtual activity for the purpose of information dissemination.

Many activities of civil activists take place on social networks with the aim of informing and raising awareness among the general public. This type of activity is not aimed at creating an immediate change in the situation of an individual or adopting a different policy on a specific issue. Rather, it is intended to draw public attention to issues or to raise the sensitivity of citizens. Informing about discrimination against religious minorities and women often takes place with this goal in mind. In these cases, it is assumed that there is currently no suitable ground for achieving justice and that in order to bring about change, the general public must first be informed about the current situation. Only after the public is informed about a problem can further steps be taken to address it. Such activities are often successful in achieving their goal of raising public awareness. A video, photo, or even a Facebook post can quickly spread in the virtual space and inform the audience about the issue. Success in this field is not predictable and various factors can contribute to the popularity or

Virtual activity with the aim of changing society’s approach in the long term.

As in the real world, meaningful change takes place in the long term and creating the desired change is difficult, in the virtual world as well, activities that aim to create meaningful change in the long term are less likely to see significant success in the short term. These activities require time to be successful because their goal is to change the mindset of citizens. For example, activities that are carried out to emphasize the right to fair trial, are designed to raise awareness and sensitivity towards this right. It is obvious that the establishment of concepts such as fair trial in society requires continuous activity over years and even decades. Here, the goal is not just to inform or create empathy for the person who has been deprived of a fair trial; rather, the goal is to inform the public about the components of a fair trial. From the writer’s point of view, this type of activity may ultimately be the most important and useful type of civic activity; however, it is difficult to see the effects of such activities in

من یک دانشجوی رشته مهندسی کامپیوتر هستم

I am a computer engineering student.

The legal manager of the Iranian Human Rights Documentation Center.