Tohid alizadeh; Nariman Mohammadi
Volume 16, Issue 32 , March 2016, , Pages 119-144
Abstract
The present study examines the role of Viber, a social media, in the formation and construction of young generation's identity. Method of this study is qualitative research and research techniques, include narrative interviews. On this basis, online virtual interviews had been done with 29 people who ...
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The present study examines the role of Viber, a social media, in the formation and construction of young generation's identity. Method of this study is qualitative research and research techniques, include narrative interviews. On this basis, online virtual interviews had been done with 29 people who were using Viber. Purposive sampling and sampling criteria were theoretical saturation. Obtained data were analyzed using thematic analysis. The results show that Viber as a social media at the same time that cause making virtual life wolrd for young subjects, makes kind of differentiated identity between them and other generations and would reinforce the generation gap. Because of its cheap economy, Viber has formed a kind of economic independence, at least in the part of the users of Viber that are economically dependent on their family. This kind of economic independence as well as reinforcing presence of these individuals in the Viber space, creats sort of generation gap between these people and their families and even other generations. Joining Viber virtual groups, has caused formation of gap between informal networking and formal networking with formal and informal virtual groups. This issue can lead in semantic and identity differentiation between different generations of such Networking and also reinforce the generation gap and generational distinction
