CULTURAL STUDIES & COMMUNICATION
Year:2007 | Volume:3 | Issue:8|Papers Count:8

Psychological operation is a pre-planned system used to alternate the perception and consequently the behavior of a target audience. The successful execution of such a scenario requires full appreciation of audience characteristics as well as the methods and tools by which they are trying to persuade and convince them. Thus, those who design psychological operations using the media should have some knowledge of the cultural and socio-political circumstances of their audiences. This in turn requires a profound understanding of the most complicated inter-relations between the structure of human knowledge and institutions which effect the creation and development of that knowledge. In other words, psychological operations through the media should concentrate on the nature of inter-relations between human’s normal, cognitive, instrumental and emotional structures. Through recognizing the elements that dominate these structures and by tapping into the values related to them, such as honesty, truth, effectiveness and aesthetics, the media has its hands on the right material for disturbing the balance between subjectivity and objectivity, therefore rebuilding structures which lead to awareness such as climate making, selection and homogenization. Since the nature of language is based on shared meaning, making a change in the structure of awareness leads to changes in the meaning of words and such a result provides the ground for language change (narrowing or broadening the meaning of the words). This article tries to show how the media affects language through the manipulation of cognitive structures and by using psychological operation.

Today, entrepreneurship is considered an effective element in economic development and decreasing unemployment in societies. Therefore, most governments have accepted it as a national development strategy and have supported and developed it in different ways. Recently, supporting entrepreneurship has been identified as a strategic priority in Iran, and has been considered in government policies for economic, social and cultural development. Since the cultural industries have a strong capability of creating new jobs, this research aims to offer proper entrepreneurship development strategies in the field of computer games. We identify effective and important elements in job opportunity expansion, and the need to create the first step towards a successful production of video games according to our own culture. In order to identify the effective elements, in addition to consulting with Iranian experts, we studied the governmental supporting programs for the games industry in the top ten countries, as well as the entrepreneurship development policies used worldwide. After compiling these programs and policies, we chose thirty five elements as the most effective indicators on the research subject, and used them to determine the variables and examine both the existing and desired situation. Then we administered a questionnaire on fifty-seven game producers and policy makers to find the gap between the existing and the desired position, and analyzed the data by Path Analysis (structural equating model) and the Freedman Test. Finally, three proper entrepreneurship development strategies in the video games industry were edited based on the results and were then recommended to the relevant governmental organizations for execution.

This article measures the feeling of happiness amongst heads of households in Isfahan in relation to their cultural life such as cultural capital, ways of spending leisure time (scientific, artistic, sports etc) as well as religiosity as a cultural component. This extensive survey was carried out during one period in the second half of 1386. This study consisted of all heads of families in Isfahan with a sample size of 384, calculated using Cockran’s formula. The questionnaire used had a suitable reliability of evaluation within various districts of Isfahan. The results reveal that the degree of happiness among heads of families is 56.23 with an average of emotional dimension of happiness at 59.38, the average of cognitive happiness 53.88, the average of social happiness 55.42. In addition, the average of cultural capital was 27.57 in which cultural skills had the highest rank with an average of 31.89. Obtaining cultural documentation had the lowest average with a mean of 19.16. Furthermore the mean of ownership of cultural instruments was 31.68. In addition, among various leisure styles identified using factor analysis, family leisure time was 53.78, entertainment leisure time 36, sport leisure time 28.01, artistic cultural leisure time 20.43 and cultural scientific leisure time 15.34. According to these results although the average of cultural capital and cultural leisure time style among heads of families is low it is usually associated with their feeling of happiness so that they increase reciprocally. On the other hand religiosity as a cultural characteristic of Isfahan has a direct and meaningful inter-relation with the feeling of happiness.

This study aims to recognize the symbols and mythology dominant in civic advertisements in Tehran. In doing so, examples of billboards on display in Tehran, Iran’s mega-city, during the spring and summer of 1382 were analyzed. The theoretical framework for this work was taken from Ferdinand de Saussure semiotic perspective combined with the theories of Rolan Barth on demystification analysis of advertising texts. The findings reveal the domination of a mythopetic system in Iranian advertising. Parts of these myths are particular to Iranian culture and society, carrying its characteristics within the texts, and others are affected by international or super-national regional myths and are more Universalist.

On the eve of September 24th 2006, after the first year of governing by the 9th government, rumours spread about a cabinet reshuffling of ministers led to the resignation of the welfare minister. At the moment the decision was made newspapers for the following day were already being printed. On the morning of September 25th 2006 it was clear that although this news was reported on TV and radio, newspaper readers could not find this news in their favorite newspapers. Therefore, newspaper readers had to wait until the morning of September 26th 2006 to read about this story. This paper investigates a selection of the newspaper headlines printed about this important event on the front pages of the morning newspapers on September 26th, 2006. 24 hours after the dissemination of this news, it had lost its timeliness , but because of its importance it had to be printed. Attention will also be paid to the hours during which the news story broke and the comments in the national news agencies and the Ettelaat newspaper which was printed on the evening of September 25th, 2006.

The present article is summary of two studies on young people and thei families. The purpose of this study is to investigate the difference between young people and parent>s leisure times and to identify the causes of the difference. Since we are living in era of communications, and it is considered as a tool for globalization, it was studied leisure times of two separate generations in regard with globalization.The theories of reality social structure and interactions have been used to understand the issue. 44 young people and their parents were interviewed in-depth. It has been concluded that young people are different from their parents in spending their leisure times and they are influenced by globalization whereas their parents are not influenced.

During recent years there have been many gatherings and classes in Tehran and other cities where new methods of “living a better life” are being taught. In these gatherings, which are based on differing psychological and philosophical perspectives, people seek some kind of spiritual and meta-physical enlightenment and on ways to gain happiness, success, maturity, psychological transcendence and relaxation. This article reveals the findings of this qualitative study on two such classes. The type of organization and the relationship between members are studies here. According to the findings we may call these gatherings ‘societies’ or ‘communities in nostalgia’ which are closed, mysterious and lead by charismatic leaders. At the same time such gatherings are signs of dynamic social life hidden from wider social society.