Examining the Role of Social Networks in Promoting Urban Culture (Case of Study: Citizens of Karaj)

This research has been conducted mainly to examine the role of social networks in promoting urban culture in Karaj citizens in 2018. The research intends to investigate the role of attendance in social networks and the type of using it to promote urban culture and social networks' role in the legalism, responsibility, participation, and universality that are the components of urban culture. This research's statistical population covers the citizens of Karaj (youth and middle-aged people, including people aged 15 to 64). The questionnaire and an interview were used as the research method and technique. The sampling method is multi-stage cluster sampling. The results indicate the research hypotheses that there is a significant relationship between using and attendance in social networks in promoting urban culture. There is also a significant relationship between using social networks and legalism, responsibility, participation, and citizens' universality. It means urban culture can be promoted using social networks and encouraging citizens to join the channels and pages of urban institutions through incentives and training instruments, provided that the citizen's interests be respected more in these issues. On the other hand, the achieved results explain that currently, the content of social networks of urban institutions infrequently examines the issue of urban culture. Hence, urban institutions should examine the category of urban culture to train urban culture through social networks. Interviewed experts and specialists also have expressed that it is possible to increase the membership of individuals in the channels and social network pages related to the institutions using proper incentive instruments, to be effective in training citizens to promote effective urban culture by providing beneficial, targeted, and needed content.