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Global Media and Communication
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The online version of this article can be found at:

DOI: 10.1177/17427665070030030405
2007 3: 340 Global Media and Communication
Yahya R. Kamalipour
Communication media and globalization: an Iranian perspective

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Communication media and globalization: an Iranian
perspective
Yahya R. Kamalipour
Purdue University, Calumet, USA
kamaliyr@calumet.purdue.edu
Since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, which toppled the earlier monar-
chical and secular Pahlavi regime, Iran has undergone a profound social
transformation. For the first time in Irans history about 92 per cent of
the young are literate; 75 per cent of the 70-million Iranian population
is under the age of 30. The number of universities has been increased
and, interestingly enough, more than 60 per cent of all university
students in Iran are female.
Iranians are communicating with each other more than ever before.
There are approximately 5 million internet users and over 70,000
bloggers most of whom are young students, educators, journalists,
writers, artists, musicians and clerics. Hundreds of clerics in the holy city
of Qum, the center of Islamic seminaries and teaching, are electronically
connected to the global village via their desktops and laptops. In
addition to numerous weblogs, the clerics have produced digital online
websites that provide a wealth of information about a wide range of
topics, including articles, speeches, commentaries, book reviews and
Quranic analysis and translations in 30 languages. Even Irans supreme
leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei (http://www.khamenei.ir), and President
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (www.ahmadinejad.ir) have their own weblogs
which are normally in both the Persian and English languages.
As is the case in many big cities around the world, internet cafes can
be found in most major Iranian cities. Additionally, wired (landline) and
wireless telephone services are available throughout the country and cell
phones have become quite widespread and popular, especially among
the youth. Reportedly, cell phones are quickly replacing the wired tele-
phones as the preferred mode of communication in many developing
countries, including Iran.
Although illegal, millions of homes are equipped with, often dis-
guised, satellite-receiving dishes across Iran. Hence millions of Iranians
can watch over 20 Iranian Los Angeles-based Persian Satellite TV
channels, hundreds of international channels, including Euro News,
Voice of America, CNN and the BBC. In addition to seven domestic
(internal) TV channels and eight radio networks, Iranians have access to
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dozens of international (external) online and broadcast Persian language
radio stations, including BBC radio, Radio Farda (USA), VOA, Radio
Israel, Radio Moscow, Radio France, Deutsche Welle (Germany), KIRN
Radio (USA), and Radio Peyk (Switzerland). The international service of
the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting or IRIB (http://www.irib.com),
broadcasts programs in 30 foreign languages, via radio, and in several
languages via satellite television, including Al-Alam TV and Al-Kowthar
TV (Arabic) and Sahar TV (English).
Historically, many Iranian newspapers have functioned as govern-
ment organs and have faced a variety of restrictions. In Iran, no one is
allowed to publish a newspaper without obtaining a legal permit from
the government. Furthermore, the line between private press and
public press is blurred due to the fact that even privately-owned news-
papers are dependent on the government for their vital needs such as
paper supplies, printing plates and advertising income. Today, over 20
daily newspapers are published in Iran, with estimated circulations
ranging from around 50,000 to 150,000. An interesting aspect of
journalism in Iran is that the majority of reporters are young while the
majority of owners and editors are of an older generation.
Although the initial revolutionary fervor of nearly three decades ago
has given way to greater realism, the Islamic Republic of Iran faces many
social, political, and economic problems. The regimes excesses vis-a-vis
the suppression of press freedom and individual freedom, particularly
under conservative President Mahmoud Ahamadinejad, continue to
alienate the Iranian youth and contribute to the unfortunate brain drain
through migration to other nations, particularly Western countries.
Furthermore, the regimes policies instituted in the name of Islam
have had a negative impact on the youth and their perceptions of
religion. On the other hand, in terms of infrastructures, transportation,
education, agriculture, military and technology, despite the ongoing US
embargos, Iran has attained notable achievements. Furthermore, com-
mercial interests have prompted Iran to work toward joining the World
Trade Organization (WTO), which has been countered by the US.
Nonetheless, a majority of Iranians tend to favor dialogue and
rapprochement with the US, at both cultural and political levels.
Regarding the ongoing Iranian nuclear controversy, the countrys
supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and other Iranian politicians
know that the United States is bogged down in the Iraq and Afghanistan
quagmire and is militarily stretched beyond its means. Hence, attacking
another member of the axis of evil, so called by President George W.
Bush in 2002, is not only unlikely but would indeed be disastrous for
Internationalizing media studies 341
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both the US and other countries in the region and throughout the
world.
Despite readily visible symbols of globalization and the widespread
adoption of new information and communication technologies in
contemporary Iran, the gap between the haves and have-nots is quite
pronounced and disheartening. In addition to the so-called digital
divide, another divide is developing in a gap between government and
public interests. After nearly three decades, since the establishment of
the Islamic Republic, we are witnessing a considerable gap between the
peoples aspirations and demands particularly among the youth and
the governments ideal of creating a model Islamic State in Iran. In
general, the greater the governments emphasis on Islamic conduct and
rules, the greater the dissatisfaction among the Iranian people.
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