An Analysis of the Socio-Political Consequences of Weblogs: Opportunities and Challenges Facing the Islamic Republic of Iran

Modern communication technologies have impacted the nature of human relations in the field of politics and culture in an unprecedented way. Although the Internet was originally developed for military purposes and has currently created virtual space for storing huge amounts of data, its security, social and cultural functions have gradually overshadowed its military aspect. After the Internet found its way into the political arena, governments were faced with a phenomenon that has alternately challenged them with threats and opportunities. Meanwhile, weblogs have found especial prominence among the various manifestations of the Internet. The development peed of this phenomenon is amazing. It received such a marvelous welcome in Iran, particularly among the youth, that Iran ranked fourth in the world as regards the number of the recorded blogs during the early years of the presence weblog on the Internet. Looking into the emergence of the Internet, this paper examines its socio-political impacts and the opportunities and threats resulting from this phenomenon and facing the Islamic Republic of Iran.