Journal of Iranian Cultural Research
Year:2009 | Volume:2 | Issue:3 (7)|Papers Count:9

For a long time communication theorists have criticized public media for being unilateral. What they prescript is to transform pattern of communication into bilateral one; in other words, to make media interactional. Telephone is the first fully interactional, however, there was a long road to the contemporary communication and information media which are highly interactional. Nevertheless, not all the modern media are equally interactional. Therefore, it is necessary to evaluate levels of interactionability in modern media and strength them. As other concepts in communication, interaction has different definitions, implying various aspects of the audience - media relation. And this feature of multi - dimensionality is to be considered. Quistis (2002) suggests a model in which all the technical, social, and comprehensive aspects of interaction are inherent. In other words, not only the technical aspect of media, but also audience’s perception plays a key role in the model. Visual - computer games are good instance of interactionability in modern media. However, not all games are equally interactional. Analyzing a well - known computer game “Call of Duty”, this article attempts to study different levels of interactionability. The main question is: how can one offer a pragmatic definition of three dimensions of interactionability to study computer games; and how this features are in Call of Duty applied?

Copy - right has been initially used in cultural and art industries. From that time there have been two different approaches to the matter: the commercial - economic approach which is concerned with the rights of suppliers and investors; and the other approach, the cultural one, which is especially concerned with the rights of author. First approach is rooted in Anglo - American countries, while the other is originally French. Expansion of the computer market, and separating software and hardware markets caused to the so - called velvet - rubbery, which refers to the illegal reproduction in the market. Therefore, there were some struggles all over the world to protect rights of their producers. In present study, beside the domestic and international difficulties these strategies would encounter, this article has reviewed different strategies to face this challenge.

Divided to two different parts, this study reviewed students and their parents’ view of the impacts computer games have. In the first part, students’ view of the impacts computer games have would be reviewed, and the second part is dedicated to the parents’ ideas of the matter. Population involves all the students from the fifth grade in primary school to the third grade students in high school and their parents. We have studied students in locales 3, 4 (in north), 15, 16 (in south), 5, 9 (in west), and 14, 8 (in east). We have reviewed ideas of at least 391 students in test group (who play more than 7 hours a week), and 386 ones in witness group (who play less than 4 hours a week). The survey method is questionnaire. However, 107 parents in witness group and 112 ones in test group were interviewed via telephone. These parents were randomly selected.

As other media, computer games convey messages which have tow features: explicit and implicit. Semiologically studying computer games and comparing them with narrative structures, the present study attempts to discover the messages they convey. Therefore we have studied and decoded “Special operation 85” as a semiological text. Results show that the game’s features, as naming, interests and motivations of the engaged people, and the events narrated, all lead the producers to their goals of introducing and publicizing Iranian - Islamic cultural values. Although this feature makes “Special Opreation 85” a unique game, it fails in its attempt to produce a mythical personage in Iranian - Islamic cultural context.

In addition to the curriculum and the learning targets, there are some other points – as “the culture of the real life”, “patterns of communication and virtual - life’s experiencing”, and generally “pattern of communication and internet usage”- should be considered in evaluating internet. Applying results of a survey on the impacts of both the web - based and the traditional educational methods on students’ learning and motivation, the present study explores the patterns of internet usage. Research method is experimental, using the t test for independent groups and analyzing multi - variable regression, and some points as the population, method of sampling and data gathering is explained in the article. Results show that there is a meaningful difference between the grades of the test group and the witness group; thus variable of “the internet usage” could predict changes in learning. In other words, supra - usage of internet would decrease learning and curriculum development. However, using internet for scientific and schooling would cause students to correlate their patterns of computer and internet usage. As results show, decline in entertaining usage of internet is related to the socio - cultural context, way and amount of participating in the web, and the quality of virtual learning sphere, rather than the interest or disinterest of the users.

Iranian youth’s leisure culture has been immediately affected by the digital media culture. As a communicative media, cell phone has crossed borders of youth norms and identity; and in addition to facilitating their communication, has changed its patterns. Applying Bourdieu’s concepts of habitus and field, and relied on the qualitative and quantitative data gathered from the mobile youth users, the present study argues that mobile has produced a new field in which youth’s opportunities for leisure, entertainment, communication, and independence have extended. In addition, cell phone has facilitated and compensated for some defects in public sphere, and therefore empowered youth agency, individuality, and power. Despite this strengthening, cell phone does not cross borders of gender and class differences, or the levels of social capital.

As the American cultural and educational institutions left Iran – as the aftermath of Islamic revolution and drop in Iran - U.S relation - the United States has applied international media as a public diplomatic pillar in relation with the Islamic Republic. Analyzing Persian service of Voice of America, the present study attempts to assess its influence in Iranian society. Applying Joseph Nye’s theory, and Boyd (1997), and Gilboa’s (2000), this study specifies 4 different goals for international media. According to these goals, we have analyzed this broadcasting media’s programs and studied Iranian audience’s message - receiving of VOA via questionnaire.

Besides family and education system, media also affects on the socializing process. What media represent is mutually affected and affective with culture. However, there are some times when media’s effect on society is especially important. For example, people with restricted social interactions would spend more time watching TV; thus what they watch not only entertains, but also has educational effects on them, this is the same for journals with habitual readers.Reviewing Hamshahri’s events page, this study attempts to study social construction of gender prototypes. Applying gender role theory and theory of gender sociability, this study would offer a hybrid model. As results show, men are more inclined to commit a crime, and women are usually the object of crimes. The most sensible prototype is that men are represented as “aggressive and raper”, while women are the victims. Described prototypes are both descriptive and normative.