The Capacities and Challenges of Local Social Networks in Promoting Religion

This research aims to identify the capacities and challenges of local social networks in promoting religion.

The study is qualitative, utilizing thematic analysis. The statistical population consists of expert scholars and academic specialists in the fields of social networks and religious advertising, from which 18 individuals were selected using a non-probability snowball sampling method. Interviews continued until theoretical saturation was reached. The criteria for selecting participants in the academic sector included teaching and authorship in the specialized fields of social networks and religious promotion, while for experts, it involved relevant activities in religious promotion through social networks. Data collection was conducted through semi-structured interviews, averaging 90 minutes per participant. For data processing, a three-stage coding method based on King’s thematic analysis (1998) was employed. The reliability and validity of the coding and processing methods were assessed through a combination of Lincoln and Guba's (1994) technique and Creswell's approach. 

The findings indicate that the capacity of local social networks for promoting religion includes having a system for monitoring religious content to prevent the spread of doubts and religious superstitions, providing localized content aligned with Iranian Islamic culture, delivering religious messages in a credible manner along with reliable sources, understanding users' ideological and religious inclinations, having no time or location constraints for the promoter, creating relevant content related to the culture of modesty and hijab in a clean and safe network environment for user presence, fostering competition, and serving as a model for local networks in promoting religion and religious values. The challenges identified include a lack of creativity and innovation for making religious content attractive, inadequate service provision for users, weak network support for users, and insufficient advertising to introduce local networks to Iranian citizens.

Given the structure and technical features of virtual social networks compared to traditional media, these networks have significant potential for promoting religion. Promoters should become familiar with how to utilize these social networks for religious advocacy.