The Impact of Digital Media on Cultural Identity
Keywords:
Digital media, cultural identity, social networks, global culture, information technologyAbstract
Purpose: The present study aimed to explore the experiences and perceptions of active digital media users living in Tehran regarding the impact of digital media on their cultural identity.
Methodology: This study was conducted using a qualitative design and an inductive thematic analysis approach. The study population consisted of active digital media users residing in Tehran who used social networks, messaging applications, video platforms, online news media, and other digital environments on a daily basis. Participants were selected through purposive sampling with maximum variation in gender, age, educational level, occupational status, and intensity of digital media use. A total of 24 participants were included in the study, and sampling continued until theoretical saturation was achieved. Data were collected using semi-structured interviews. Each interview lasted between 35 and 70 minutes. After obtaining informed consent, the interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed through inductive thematic analysis. To enhance the trustworthiness of the findings, peer review, participant checking, repeated revision of codes, rich description, and documentation of analytical decisions were used.
Findings: Data analysis led to the identification of six main themes: redefinition of cultural belonging, encounter with global culture, transformation of language and cultural symbols, change in lifestyle and cultural consumption, identity conflict and duality, and cultural agency and reconstruction. The findings showed that digital media influence users’ cultural identity through continuous exposure to diverse cultures, cultural comparison, transformation of communicative language, changes in taste and lifestyle, and new opportunities for self-representation. The results also indicated that the impact of digital media is dual in nature: it may increase cultural awareness and strengthen conscious cultural belonging, while it may also create identity tension, confusion, and distance from some traditional cultural elements.
Conclusion: The findings suggest that the impact of digital media on cultural identity is multidimensional, dynamic, and context-dependent. Digital media are neither merely a threat to cultural identity nor simply a tool for strengthening it; rather, they provide a space in which cultural identity is continuously reconsidered, negotiated, and reconstructed.
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