Developing a Model for Social Capacity Building and Water Crisis Socialization

 Population growth, climate change, urbanization and diversification of water use, mismanagement ‎of water resources along with the degradation of the environment have put great pressure on the ‎limited available water resources. Competition over limited water resources has also led to ‎widespread debate in the field of water to date, which has been called the status of water resources ‎beyond the water crisis and even water bankruptcy in Iran. In such circumstances, it seems that the ‎primary precondition for successful management of the water crisis is the socialization of the issue ‎with the socialization of individuals on water issues. Environmental socialization is a relatively new ‎topic in the field of sociological studies, which means that to what extent institutions and factors of ‎socialization, such as family, school, peer group, institutions, media, etc. can influence people's ‎attitudes, worldviews and ultimately their behavior, and institutionalize and internalize environmental ‎values.‎ 

The purpose of this study is to provide a strategic pattern for social capacity ‎building and ‎citizens’ ‎socialization towards water crisis issues. For this ‎purpose, in the qualitative ‎paradigm, based on ‎Grounded Theory ‎Methodology, Strauss and Corbin's systematic ‎approach has been used.‎ Also, 33‏‎ ‎deep and semi-structured interviews were conducted using ‎theoretical sampling ‎and further ‎snowball techniques with experts in the water, social ‎and ‎communication sciences and media. In ‎order to assess the validity of the ‎interviews, ‎interpretations of the interviews were made by self-‎assessed ‎interviewees and, at the end, a ‎summary of the pattern was presented to ‎several of the ‎professors and their comments ‎were accepted for modification. ‎  

‎The main issue of the research was called the ‘Social ‎Capacity Building’. ‎The causal conditions ‎of socialization toward the water crisis were: academic ‎and educational weakness, lack of expertise, non-‎commitment in ‎responsibility, failure to ‎empowerment public opinion, distrust, concealment ‎and ‎gatekeeping, lack of media ‎democracy, inappropriate media policy, social ‎dissatisfaction, low ‎social capital, the ‎transition from tradition to modernity ‎and low communication. ‎Also, research ‎strategies include creating private media, building trust,  promoting ‎social capital, socializing ‎the ‎water crisis and increasing demand, creating a ‎dialogue of water and the renewal of the ‎culture ‎of water dignity, interacting ‎with the media, creating a system of encouragement ‎and punishment, ‎increasing training and water literacy, science-centered approach, using ‎media tactics, selecting ‎effective media, establishing effective ‎communication all were resulted from ‎three stages of coding.‎‎‎‏ ‏The ‎non-socialization and non-institutionalization of water value as contextual conditions and the ‎diversity of audiences as confounding conditions were also obtained. Thus, the positive consequences of ‎the socialization of the water crisis were: increased water literacy, a central community of ‎water discourse, and compliance with conditions. The negative consequences were the lack of ‎socialization of the water crisis, the lack of social participation, and the spread of controversial ‎rumors.‎ Iranian people live in a dry and semi-arid country that has always had problems supplying ‎water in some parts of the country, however, the study shows that Iranian behavior is not in line ‎with popular behavior in a water-scarce country. Resources and consumption in the country are ‎inconsistent. Now that the country is facing a severe water crisis, the need for socialization of the ‎water crisis and socialization of the crisis by the people is urgently needed. In fact, the findings of ‎the study indicate that the water issue is not posed a socio-natural crisis in the society, and this is ‎determined by the data-driven conditions in the paradigmatic model. One of the important aspects ‎of socialization is media. Since the media have a powerful voice role for all people and people ‎spend a lot of time on them, so they are at the forefront of societal factors (Gill & Adams, 2005: ‏‎‎‏90-‎‏98‏‎).‎ All participants in the study believed that the media in Iran did not succeed in socializing the water ‎crisis. And people have not received enough training in this field. Strengthening media and ‎communication dimensions is one of the key points in these findings. Early childhood education ‎and the creation of a water discourse through effective dialogue about water in the community is ‎strongly recommended with the help of social facilitators and restoring lost public confidence to ‎increase their participation. It is also about revitalizing water culture and institutionalizing water ‎value in the society and turning it into a social issue alongside technical solutions to ways out of crisis.‎