Iranian Women Seek Relationships with the Opposite Sex More Than Men on Social Media

Results from a survey conducted by the Iranian Students Polling Agency (ISPA) indicate that Iranian women are more actively seeking 'easier communication with the opposite sex' on social media than men. This survey, carried out this autumn by the 'Khorasan Razavi' office of the agency, was detailed by Razieh Azarnia, the head of this office, in an interview with ISNA on Tuesday (November 30). Azarnia stated that according to the survey, 'escaping loneliness, nostalgia, and joining groups' are reasons for women's presence on social media, more so than for men. The survey also revealed that 'men more than women' cited 'advertising and marketing' as their reason for being on social media. Azarnia added that 46.1% of participants indicated 'lack of adherence to customary restrictions' as a reason for their social media presence. Furthermore, 33.9% of respondents mentioned 'expressing emotional topics and easier communication with the opposite sex' as their motivation for using these platforms. Regarding the reasons for using social media, Azarnia noted that '86.1% of respondents are active on these platforms for entertainment, leisure, and curiosity.' She also mentioned that '52.9% of respondents indicated a high level of expressing realities that cannot be voiced in society' as a reason for their presence on these networks. The survey also showed that 'humor,' 'conversation,' and watching 'clips and photos' are the top three priorities for social media users in Iran, with 24%, 22.6%, and 19.8% respectively. Other findings revealed that 26.9% of respondents are members of 'Telegram,' 19.3% are on 'Line,' and 15.6% belong to other networks including 'Viber.' Additionally, 92.5% of respondents reported being active on social media daily, while 7.5% indicated weekly activity. Azarnia also stated that '31.4% of respondents spend between 30 minutes to one hour on social media each time they log in, 23.9% spend less than 30 minutes, and 18.2% spend one to two hours.' The use of mobile social networks in Iran has seen unprecedented growth in recent years and continues to rise. On October 25 of this year, Mahmoud Vaezi, the Minister of Communications, announced that 'Telegram' has 13 to 14 million users in Iran. Currently, 'Telegram' is considered the most popular mobile social network in Iran, despite repeated calls from judicial authorities for its closure. Judicial officials have warned that if the network does not remove 'obscene' channels, they will issue orders to block it in Iran. Meanwhile, officials from Hassan Rouhani's government have made extensive efforts to negotiate with 'Telegram' managers to prevent the network's closure in Iran. The network's managers recently announced that they have removed 'obscene' channels at Iran's request, but some supporters of filtering this network claim that these channels continue to operate. The 'Working Group for Determining Criminal Content' in Iran has held several meetings regarding the fate of 'Telegram' and other mobile social networks, but there has not been enough votes to block this application.