The Role of Cultural and Identity Differences in Self-expression of Iranian Users of Social Networking Sites; A Case Study of Students of Tehran University, Amirkabir University, and Sharif University of Technology

Abstract

Social media with their features such as interactivity, participatory, and user-generated content have provided a great opportunity for self-expression of the users. However, cultural differences affect the extent and modality of users’ self-expression. This study aims to investigate the modality of self-expression of Iranian users of the social networking sites. In doing so, an online survey was conducted among the students of three Iran universities: University of Tehran, Amirkabir University of Technology, and Sharif University of Technology. A total of 371 students participated in the study. Having conducted quantitative analysis, the study results showed that women and ethnic minorities are more inclined to support their cultural differences compared to men and ethnic majority group. Supporting cultural differences was observed more among Shia religious majority group. Religious minorities expressed less tendency to create content in social networking sites and as a result support their religious identity.

Keywords

• self-expression
• cultural differences
• social networks
• identity