A Proposed Model for Empowering Iraqi Users to Create Cultural Consensus: A Study in the Context of Social Networks
Keywords:
Iraqi users, cultural consensus, empowerment, Social networksAbstract
This study aimed to identify the components and dimensions influencing the empowerment of Iraqi users to foster cultural consensus on social networks and to propose a paradigm model for this process. This qualitative exploratory study used semi-structured in-depth interviews with 12 media and cultural managers, experts, and researchers in Iraq during 2023–2024, selected through purposive sampling. Data were analyzed through grounded theory using open, axial, and selective coding in MAXQDA software to extract the final model. Analysis led to 83 unique initial codes grouped into 16 main categories and then condensed into 6 core codes: causal conditions (virtual knowledge: media, cultural, and information literacy), contextual conditions (strategic platforms: environmental and digital platforms), intervening conditions (media anomalies: media invasion, cultural discrimination, filtering, globalization), strategies (digital cultural development: cultural convergence and local platform development), consequences (cultural consensus: cultural and social cohesion), and the central category (user empowerment: operational, normative, and media empowerment). Findings revealed that empowering users by increasing virtual knowledge, developing local digital platforms, and mitigating media anomalies can effectively enhance cultural and social consensus. This study presented a comprehensive model for empowering Iraqi users on social networks, which can serve as an effective framework for cultural planning, promoting social cohesion, reducing ethnic-religious divides, and fostering active user participation in the development of Iraq’s national culture.
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