Cultural Studies
Fardin Alikhah; Masomeh Shadmanfaat
Abstract
There has been a huge concern about the manner of confrontations of different social groups with urban public spaces within urban scholars. Among these social groups, young people have been particularly important. Because they have a tangible presence in the city's public spaces and social life of the ...
Read More
There has been a huge concern about the manner of confrontations of different social groups with urban public spaces within urban scholars. Among these social groups, young people have been particularly important. Because they have a tangible presence in the city's public spaces and social life of the city are affected by their presence. This paper examines the uses of public spaces by young people and will pay special attention to the role of social control on use of public spaces. Paper focuses on the study of young people who attend in public places with their friends from opposite sex. We have inspired by theories of urban public spaces such as Oldenburg's third place as well as comprehensive research of Rob White on crime, policing and urban public spaces in Australia in this paper. The main question of the paper is that this particular group of young people choose which public spaces and why? In a qualitative approach, two techniques of observation and in - depth interviews have been chosen for collecting data. Original data collected in interviews with 20 girls and boys who attend in public places with their friends from opposite sex. Results show that parks and coffee shops are preferred urban public places of youth. Formal control would push these youth to out of the way and cozy public spaces.
Social Sciences and Communications
S. Koohestani; F. Alikhah; N. Ofoghi; H. Hallajzadeh
Abstract
With the emergence of new social media networks, the mechanisms of gaining fame have undergone massive transformations. Today, users have attained the opportunity to reach fame, which was not easily accessible before. In this regard, due to its easy-to-use capabilities and high popularity among users, ...
Read More
With the emergence of new social media networks, the mechanisms of gaining fame have undergone massive transformations. Today, users have attained the opportunity to reach fame, which was not easily accessible before. In this regard, due to its easy-to-use capabilities and high popularity among users, Instagram has become a main platform for creating fame. Many Instagram users are inclined to become famous on this social network for various reasons, and this fame brings considerable consequences in the society, which enhances the importance of sociological analysis of the issue. By this way, the present paper tries to examine and analyze the causes and effects of fame on Instagram while reviewing the theories about economy, fame, and microcelebrity. The study was conducted with a qualitative approach and semi-structured in-depth interviews with 20 Instagram users. The findings obtained from the interviews were also extracted and analyzed with the thematic analysis technique and demonstrated 6 main themes and 12 sub-themes. Finally, based on the interviewees' responses, significant reasons for seeking fame on Instagram include monetizing and acquiring economic capital, a shortcut to success, and an opportunity to be seen and heard, which has led to important outcomes such as the standardization of taste, the consumerism of everyday life, and changing values and norms in the society.
