A Study on Women, Gender Scholars, and Communication Experts Views about the Role of Social Networks in Empowering Iranian Women

This study is an attempt to understand social networking capabilities in the empowering of Iranian women. To fulfill such purpose, we conducted a deep interview with 14 case samples, including women, gender scholars, and communication experts. We tried to identify both the status quo and the potential capacities of social networks that can lead to empowering Iranian women. Some research findings indicate that social networks, which carry some intrinsic capabilities such as networking and exchange of information, bring about some significant results for women empowerment. For example, it can increase chances for self-employment, or promote audacity in their self-statements; it can increase sharing of knowledge and skills, or increase gender self-consciousness and demanding spirit, women's reflexivity on their identity. Nevertheless, the government seems to have neglected to apply appropriate policies for the efficiency of social networking capabilities. This factor has joined with the resistance against social networks. As a result, one can witness a lack of tendency to apply the real capacities of social networks. Such underutilization of social networks has rather provoked superficial functions of these networks.