“Right-aligned image”
Ali Ajami

Social networks play an undeniable role in the social developments of the 21st century, both as a means of communication and as a mass media; however, the positive or negative nature of this role may currently be subtle or subject to debate. The role and impact of newspapers and publications in the Constitutional Revolution for the Iranian audience is a suitable and familiar comparison; there are few historians who deny the influence of newspapers as a modern form of communication on the Constitutional Revolution, and similarly, it is difficult to find analysts who overlook the role of the internet and especially social networks in the 2009 Iranian protests known as the “Green Movement”.

Just a few days after the 1388 elections and the beginning of protests in Iran, the social media network Twitter postponed maintenance work that could have caused a few hours of downtime, in favor of the protesters due to its widespread use in Iran. In the absence of traditional communication tools such as television, newspapers, and telephones, all of which were controlled by the government, social networks, especially Twitter and Facebook, played a prominent role in disseminating news and reports and coordinating the protesters. Blocking Twitter and Facebook, arresting users, and activating pro-government users were reactions aimed at reducing the impact of these networks on current developments in Iran.

The high costs of reducing the impact of the internet and social networks.

The exorbitant cost that the government spends on censoring and controlling social media networks in Iran is enough to prove the impact of these tools and new media. Iran ranks second after China in terms of internet censorship and control, and according to the Minister of Communications, the Iranian government has spent 200 billion tomans on the “smart filtering” project. This amount does not include the budget of parallel and non-governmental institutions, which are responsible for controlling the internet and users under various names such as the “cyber army”. More importantly, it is more than the 20 trillion tomans that Iran has spent on the “National Information Network” or “National Internet”. To better understand these numbers, it is enough to remember that the budget of the Iranian Environmental Organization, with all the various environmental problems in the country, has only been 174 billion tomans.

Despite all the expenses and targeted policies and establishment of multiple parallel institutions, the Iranian government has never been able to fully control the internet and social networks, and these networks are becoming increasingly popular among Iranian users. The emergence of new, easier and cheaper applications and the mandatory need for the government and people to use the internet make it difficult to control it. The Iranian government, although reluctantly, has accepted the role and presence of social networks and it seems that it is more than just controlling and blocking, it is forced to think about ways to use it in its policies.

According to published statistics, currently more than 30 million Iranians use social networks and messaging apps. Telegram has become the most popular social network with over 24 million users, followed by WhatsApp and Instagram with approximately 14 million Iranian users each. Despite being filtered, Facebook and Twitter are still being used, especially Twitter which has recently gained popularity among politicians and religious figures.

Facebook, with its public and political space, has been used from the beginning as a network for discussing and uniting around long posts by activists and serious supporters of political and social discussions. On the contrary, Instagram has a more private and recreational space and has opened up more – though not entirely – among celebrities, football players, and photographers. Twitter has also faced more popularity from journalists and non-professional comedians; although the existence of a phenomenon called “Twitter storm” has given it a special place in globalizing news and political propaganda.

Special case of Telegram.

Before the emergence and widespread use of Telegram in the market, social media users in Iran were mostly fixed individuals who sometimes had to switch to other networks due to filtering or shutdowns. Telegram has had a remarkable growth and leap among social networks, with official sources announcing that more than 24 million Iranian users are using this application. Unlike other social networks, Telegram has gained more penetration among ordinary people, not just political enthusiasts. The head of Iran’s Telecommunications Company announced in December 2015 that the usage rate of Telegram among Iranians is several times higher than watching television.

Ease of use, lightweight, simultaneous private and group communication capabilities, the ability to form recreational or serious groups, and its emergence in the market with the widespread use of mobile internet, can be reasons for the special popularity of Telegram; features that have led Iranian officials to acknowledge its influence and the control and closure of it has become a subject of internal disputes between power factions in Iran.

In October 2015, the CEO of Telegram network announced on his Twitter account that he had rejected the Iranian authorities’ request to create the ability to spy on Iranian users. Following that, the officials of this social network resisted the transfer of servers to Iran. Domestic news agencies had reported on the eve of the parliamentary elections in February that Telegram would be blocked in the last two days of the elections, but the Minister of Communications of the government, Mahmoud Vaezi, announced after the elections that some institutions had put pressure to cut off the internet or filter social networks on the eve of the elections, but “the government resisted”.

Although it is possible that Telegram, like other social networks, may face a fate such as filtering or being replaced by newer and more advanced networks, there is no doubt that controlling social networks is becoming increasingly difficult and expensive. Denying the impact of social networks on political and social developments is also becoming increasingly difficult; however, whether this role is positive or negative still needs time to be analyzed. Revolution in the field of communication and media does not necessarily mean positive political and social changes.

Sources:

• Twitter delays repairs at the request of the US government, Deutsche Welle, June 16, 2009.

• 200 billion tomans spent on intelligent filtering, Mashregh News, 13th of Tir month, 1395.

• Launching of the National Information Network with a 20 trillion rial investment, Mehr News Agency, September 7th, 2016.

• The average usage of Iranian users on Telegram is several times more than watching television, Sina, 28 December 2015.

• Letter from Sadegh Zibakalam to Ali Motahari, Zistboom, 27 Ordibehesht 1394.

• Twitter account of Pavel Durov, CEO of Telegram, October 20, 2015.