Consequences of Iranians virtual life

Abstract Social networks are an important factor for social changes and appropriate tool for culture making. Virtual communication facilitates the political, social, and cultural relations of users by establishing communication autonomy from mainstream media and consequently, it causes more flexibility and cultural adaptation of communication. These networks, due to the diversity and variety, provide requirements for improving the user's media literacy as a smart citizen. This qualitative research was carried out with the aim of investigating the impacts and consequences of the Iranian virtual life with the thematic analysis method. The research findings were obtained with documentary studies and by interviewing 25 people from experts and active users. At first the purposive or judgment sampling was used and then snowball sampling method was used. The MAXQDA software was used to draw thematic network model. Impacts of Iranians virtual life are communication capability, collective self-sufficiency, and online social and political reform, formation and strengthening of the public sphere, innovation, entrepreneurship and economic capacity. The negative consequences of Iranians virtual life are Psychological and social damage, social despotism, the production and distribution of superficial and popular content, fluid and unstable life style and identity conflict. The Iranians virtual life goes through their transition. Achieve positive effects unexpected in the transitional conditions. Therefore, promoting media literacy and removing public and private constraints is a strategy for reform and improving Iranians virtual life.