The Sociological Analysis of the Impact of Virtual Social Networks on Farhangian university Students' Social Identity Construction: A Case Study of Students of Shahid Modares Campus in Sanandaj in the Academic Year of 1395-96

In the recent decade, profound changes have occurred in young generation's social identity construction possibly due to the noticeable role of virtual communication networks.  The basic question addressed in the current study is concerned with the effects of Farhangian university teacher students' participation in virtual communication networks on their social identity construction. It dare to say that during this period Iranian society in general and youth in particular has seen the most changes dimension of social identity. With regard to the cultural and social characteristics of the student community in the study, the data was collected by following a qualitative method, employing the approaches in grounded theory and ethno methodology (with an emphasis on virtual ethnography) and using the techniques in episodic and asynchronous online interview. The studied population included the teacher students of all the courses in Kurdistan's Shahid Modares campus. Accordingly, 25 of the students were interviewed using purposive sampling. The interview continued to reach the theoretical saturation. The extracted data was analyzed and studied by using thematic analysis and cognitive symptoms. According to the findings, it can be said that with respect to normative changes in the social identity, widespread norm and value changes have occurred in the studied subjects' life world and the various aspects related to social identity due to the use of virtual social network. These issues include family relationships, lifestyle, moral beliefs, personal goals, marriage and the associated traditions. The intensity and dimensions of the mentioned changes led us to propose a grounded theory on the basis of field study entitled Pendulum Theory of Social Identity associated with the characteristics of the youth and university students.