Payman Shamsian
When it comes to freedom on the net, Iran has occupied a seemingly unshakable place somewhere at the bottom of the list among other countries in the world. The list of governmental restrictions on the internet is long enough to include different online platforms, websites, and social media networks. While government tries to make it harder and harder for people to access to information on the online world, Iranians play it along and try different ways to bypass the blocks and restrictions. The hide and seek game between the people and the government is heated particularly in the social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and etc. Although Facebook, twitter, and YouTube are all banned in Iran, but Iranians insist to get an access to these social platforms by using Virtual Private Network (VPN) since several years ago. However, in the last two years, it has been easier for Iranians to enjoy the social media platforms’ features in the online world. Thanks to a new messaging app, Iranians tend to use Facebook less these days and do not bother themselves to connect to VPN only for scrolling down and up on Twitter.
Telegram is the messaging app that has won the heart of Iranians in the last two years. This Berlin-based messaging app was lunched by two Russian brothers in 2013. The main feature of Telegram is its channel based functioning style that allows the users broadcast their own messages and stories to a large bulk of audience.
According to a survey published by Iranian students polling agency, more than 20 million people in Iran use Telegram. Now, Telegram has found its place as the hottest and most used communication and messaging tool among Iranians. The company says that about 20% of its monthly active users are from Iran. Due to its simplicity and user friendly outlook, this messaging app has become the first internet experience of many of the Iranian older generations. If you see an Iranian old lady or gentleman looking fixedly at her/his smart phone’s screen, most probably it is because they try to read some news or watching a video on Telegram. In Iran, like other social media platforms, Telegram is mostly installed on mobile phones and laptops to read the news, communicate with others through Telegram’s groups or direct messaging, and share videos, audios, and jokes. According to some surveys, 72% of the young Iranians between 18 and 29 years old have access to smart phone and 42% of the rural population use social media networks.
Why Telegram?
You would ask why telegram is so popular in Iran and has held a place above other social media networks in popularity. The first reason surely is the internet filtering policies in Iran that are not set to ban Telegram, yet. Thus Iranians feel comfortable to communicate via Telegram without any need to bother to use VPN or any other anti-filter software. There is no crystal clear argument about the main motives behind government’s decision to not ban Telegram in the last two years. However, the following reasons can be stated as the main structural tenets of Iranian regime’s policy regarding Telegram: the first reason, which is not necessarily the main reason, is Telegram’s high, and growing, penetration rate among Iranians. On this account, it is likely to consider the government’s fear of causing disappointment among people by banning Telegram. The second reason would be its cross-class popularity which is inclusively welcoming people from different social, political and economic classes within Iranian society, to use the platform. In fact, it can be considered as the strongest winning point of Telegram in Iran. The content of different channels of Telegram is suitable for different tastes as people themselves produce the content. In addition, the other reason can be that Telegram, unlike Facebook or Instagram, does not give the possibility of commenting or liking the posts on channels.
Telegram is simply more than a messaging app for Iranians as the way it has been used in the country is dramatically distinguished with other online messaging tools. There are many stories and news that have been circulated among the people through Telegram every day. However, most of these news and stories are not covered or reported by the official media outlets. Ordinary people can easily report the news and cover stories from their neighbourhood and broadcast it through Telegram’s channels to other people. As a result, people tend to trust Telegram more than official and licensed media outlets such as national TV channels and print media. And it can be dangerous as the false and inaccurate news can be spread quickly in Telegram, as well. In this situation, while restrictions and censorship on licensed media limit the free circulation of the stories, the inaccuracy and lack of precision of the news in social media platforms devastate the messages that reach to the audience. As Telegram tries to keep the information of the administrators and channel members secured, it is sometimes extremely hard to distinguish trusted and non-trusted channels in this messaging service.
In fact, besides ordinary people, many governmental bodies using Telegram as a communication bridge between their intuitional platform and the people. On top of that, businesses and companies have started to advertise their services and products through telegram to reach out particular targets easier and enjoy less censorship.
Beyond a messaging app
During the last parliamentary election in Iran, Telegram was used extensively by candidates to connect to voters and disseminate their campaign message to a wider crowd. In the elections preceding the parliamentary election in 2016, Facebook and Twitter were considered to be the only social media platforms that have been actively used for political campaigning in Iran. However, employing these social media platforms was intensively limited and had minimal influence on the electoral environment. In contrast, Telegram was one of the key players during the campaigning period in 2016 parliamentary election. Reformists and moderates, who gathered under an umbrella electoral list called “Hope List”, basically established their campaign on Telegram. They used this messaging app to compete with hardliners and conservatives who have the national TV channels as their mouthpiece and enjoy unlimited support from some official institutions. Besides, many of the foreign –based media outlets and news agencies such as BBCPersian has also offered their service in the form of a Telegram channel in order to make their content accessible to a broader audience.
On this account, many hardliners have been increasingly advocating for banning the Telegram in Iran, particularly based on the challenges posed by this messaging app during the election time in 2016. However, as it is reported by a London-based NGO which conducts digital and media related research, Iranian regime seems accommodating social media platforms way more than before. “Whereas in the past government policy has tended to err towards condemning, blocking, and disrupting the services offered by messaging apps, there are signs that the Iranian political and media establishments may be looking to develop a more nuanced response to Telegram’s popularity, potentially even co-opting the platform for their own ends.”
On the other hand, Telegram has shown the ability of impacting the societal behaviour and trends of the Iranian society. Last month, a Telegram gathering in Tehran was covered considerably by social media users inside and outside of Iran. In other instances, Telegram has become a channel for social workers and NGOs to convey their message about urban culture and traditions, environmental activities, and humanitarian programs to people.
It seems that social media networks play a significant role in political and social atmosphere of the Iranian society. By the day, more and more people start using social media platforms like Telegram to get their news from online media, raise awareness on different issues of the society, and empower their voice to be heard by the politicians and incumbents. In this situation, the considerable impacts of social media should be taken into account in every political move or social activity.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Payman Shamsian holds a degree in international relations from Central European University. His research covers the relationship between Iran and Shia groups, Turkey, Syria, forced migration and US foreign policy towards the Middle East.