News Science

News Science

The Strategic Influence of Virtual Space on the Electoral Behavior of Tehrani Citizens in the 2021 Presidential Election

Document Type : Original Article

Authors
Meisam Alipour 1
Mohamadreza Mohamadjani 2
Keramatollah Rasekh 3
1 Ph.D. Candidate, in Communication Sciences, Department of Communication Sciences, Faculty of Law and Human Sciences, Shiraz Branch, Islamic Azad University, Shiraz, Iran. E-mail: meisam.alipour@gmail.com
2 (Corresponding author)Assistant Professor, Department of Political Science, Faculty of Law and Humanities, Fars Science and Research Campus, Islamic Azad University, Shiraz, Iran, E-mail: mohamadjaani@gmail.com
3 Associate Professor, Department of Sociology, Faculty of Human Sciences, Fars Science and Research Campus, Islamic Azad University, Shiraz, Iran.E-mail: krasekh@gmail.com
10.22034/lrsi.2024.483331.1265
Abstract
Objective: Mass media, particularly social networks and virtual space, are among the important tools for attracting public political participation in events such as elections and have played a role in shaping political discourse and electoral behavior worldwide. This research aims to investigate the extent of familiarity with and the strategic influence of social networks and virtual space on the electoral behavior of Tehrani citizens in the 2021 Iranian presidential election.
Methods: This study employed a survey research method using a researcher-made questionnaire to examine the views of 390 eligible voters in Tehran. Additionally, correlation analysis and multivariate regression were used to test the research hypotheses.
Results: The findings indicated that, according to the respondents, the component of passive electoral behavior (within the dimension of social participation) with a mean of 2.44 out of 5 (48.8%) ranked first among the research components, confirming the first hypothesis. The component of stereotypical electoral behavior (within the dimension of social participation) with a mean of 1.69 out of 5 (33.8%) ranked third, confirming the second hypothesis. This same component (stereotypical electoral behavior) was also reported with a mean of 1.84 out of 5 (36.8%) in third place, confirming the third hypothesis. The Pearson statistic for the influence of gender on electoral behavior in the 2021 election was 0.044, with a regression value of 0.045, confirming the fourth hypothesis. According to the respondents, the structural component of virtual social networks (within the dimension of social networks) ranked first with a mean of 2.89 out of 5 (57.8%), confirming the fifth hypothesis. The interactive component of virtual social networks (within the dimension of social networks) ranked second with a mean of 2.65 out of 5 (53.0%), confirming the sixth hypothesis. Furthermore, the interactive factor of virtual social networks (within the dimension of social networks) ranked third with a mean of 2.29 out of 5 (51.8%), confirming the seventh hypothesis. Therefore, it can be stated that social networks and virtual space have significantly influenced the dynamics of people's electoral behavior through different passive, stereotypical, and active approaches and have been able to increase the growth of public participation in elections.
Conclusion: Social networks and virtual space have had a significant impact on the dynamics of public electoral behavior through different passive, stereotypical, and active approaches and have been able to enhance the development of electoral participation. The various interactive, structural, functional dimensions, as well as the characteristics of the active population present in social networks and virtual space, have significantly influenced political participation and electoral behavior.
Keywords
Virtual Space
Electoral Behavior
Tehrani Citizens
Presidential Election
Iran
References
Abbasi, A., Motazadiyan, R., & Miraii, M., (2016). Investigation the Barriers of Public Policy Implementation in Governmental Organizations Organizational Resources Management Researches. 6(2), 49-69. 20.1001.1.22286977.1395.6.2.4.4 (in Persian)
Abdolhosseinzadeh, M., & Sanai, M. (2015). Empowering public policies through transparency and participation. The First National Conference on Iranian Public Administration, Tehran, Faculty of Management, University of Tehran. (in Persian)
Abdullah, A. (2008), A Survey of Voting Behavior Theories, First Line Quarterly, Islamic Revolution Approach, 3(8) (in Persian) 
Abuli, A; Haghighi, A & Zarei, G., (2022), the effect of virtual social networks on the political behavior of Iranian citizens (since 1997-87), Geography Quarterly (Regional Planning), 12(46) (in Persian) 
Alodat, A, M., et al., (2023). "Social Media Platforms and Political Participation: A Study of Jordanian Youth Engagement" Social Sciences 12, no. 7: 402. https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci12070402
Castells, M., (2014), The Information Age and the Emergence of the Network Society, translated by Ali Paya, Tehran, New Design. (in Persian) 
Elahi Menesh, M.; Qadiri, T., & Farjami K., (2017), The Impact of Cyberspace on the Political Participation of the Citizens of the Islamic Republic of Iran (Case Study of Tehran City), Shushtar Social Sciences, 4 )43((in Persian(
Ghafari Sarvi, M., (2018), The role of virtual space in creating a framework for voters: a study of the 10th parliament elections in Tehran, Modern Media Studies, 5(19) (in Persian (
Hayden, C. ; Waisanen, Don. & Osipova, Y (2013). Facilitating the Conversation: The 2012 U.S. Presidential Election and Public Diplomacy through Social Media. American Behavioral Scientist, 57(11), 1623-1642.
Imam Jumazadeh, S., & Karmi Rad, J, (2012), Analysis of factors affecting electoral behavior with a view to Iran, Political Researches, 1(3) (in Persian) 
Norris P., (2002), Political Activism: New Challenges, New Opportunities” in Charles Boix and Susan C. Stokes (eds.), the Oxford Handbook of Comparative Politics, (New York: Oxford University Press.
Paletz, D. L., et al., (2012), 21st Century American Government and Politics. US: Creative Commons.
Saeed, P. (1999), investigating the behavior of Tehrani voters in the elections of the fourth and fifth periods of the Islamic Council, Master of Education thesis. (in Persian) 
Sajid, M.; Javed, J., & Warraich, N. F. (2024). The Role of Facebook in Shaping Voting Behavior of Youth: Perspective of a Developing Country. Sage Open, 14(2)
 Shah A, A.; Asadi, M., & Aghababai, M., (2022), factors influencing the electoral behavior of voters in the presidential election of 2021 (a case study of citizens of the eight districts of Tehran), Iranian Political Sociology Monthly, 4)1) (in Persian (
Shahid Zadeh, Parinaz &  Asadi,  Abbas et al. (), Genealogy of the changes in the «#Me-too» social movement on Instagram, News Science, 2(13), 21-40, https://doi.org/10.22034/lrsi.2024.462626.1194(In Persian)
Weber W., et al., (2022) Virtual Reality as a Tool for Political Decision-Making? An Empirical Study on the Power of Immersive Images on Voting Behavior. Front. Commun. 7 :842186. doi: 10.3389/fcomm.2022.842186