Youth's Sexual Identity in Internet Popular Novels, a Study on Selected Novels of "98ia.ir"

Popular novels which are available through the Internet are one of the symptoms of producing content on the cyber space that shows shifting pattern of usage of internet in Iran from one-way usage of the contents of websites and social networks toward producing various contents. What has done in this study is reviewing the popular novels of the most visited sites of this kind like "98ia" website. The main question of research is about representation of the sexual identity of young people in these popular novels. 24 novels from the most popular ones in this website have been selected using intentional sampling, and have subjected to qualitative content analysis. The results of the study showed that what those young writers have published in these novels, more or less showing the little commitment of young people toward limits and frameworks of traditional society in expressing gender identity in appearance, values, sexual views, and cross-gender behaviors. This little commitment, by a little difference among low and upper classes of the society, is recognizable. Young people of the new generation in the reviewed novels, are the ones with views, model of expressing identities, and cross-gender behaviors which in fact challenge the values of their previous generation. However, the content of popular novels of "98ia" show a dominant image of lifestyle among the upper classes of the society.