Iranians Spend an Average of 9 Hours Daily on Social Media

The advisor to Iran's Minister of Sports and Youth says that the average usage of social media by Iranians is 9 hours a day, with Facebook engaging the majority of the population. According to reports from ISNA and Tasnim news agencies, Mohammad Reza Rostami stated on Thursday, June 14, that we are facing a situation where social media occupies a significant economic, social, cultural, and artistic position, and this should not be taken lightly. He noted that 'three-fifths of Iranians' use Facebook and spend considerable time on this social network. Meanwhile, social media collectively consumes '9 hours daily' of Iranians' time on average. This statistic comes at a time when Facebook and Twitter are filtered in Iran, forcing users to utilize VPNs and circumvention software to access these networks. The advisor also mentioned that we are currently witnessing 'the dominance of social media over all other media' in Iran. He pointed out that the use of social media in Iran is 'increasing,' yet despite this, 'no studies have been conducted on media addiction, media consumption in Iranian society, and their media literacy.' According to the statistics provided by the advisor, 33.2% of Iranians use the internet daily, and 25% use it weekly. The report also refers to Iranians' consumption of other media, noting that by the end of 2013, the daily television viewing rate in Iran was 66.5%, while satellite program viewership was 31.4%. Mr. Rostami ultimately compared the popularity of Iranian television programs and satellites among the Iranian community, stating that 'this signifies a gradual shift from domestic media to foreign media.'