The role of Iranian cinema in changing social development indicators

The media, and cinema in particular, are among the institutions that contributes to development any country, which, according to their content, have a potential role in improving or eroding the social development indicators. Based on such potential and requirement for development, the present study with quantitative methodology, survey method and questionnaire technique, and in the framework of two theories of modeling and social expectations, the position of Iranian cinema and its impact on the desired indicators (in terms of positive or negative effect), has carried out an experimental test among 1216 moviegoers in Tehran. The findings showed that Iranian films did not have a positive effect on the lives of the audience, but at the same time, they played a role in changing social development indicators.Iranian cinema has played a positive role in improving the indicators of awareness, social communication, responsibility, collectivist values (populism, public commitment and altruism), familyism, attitude to marriage, egalitarianism and gender equality, and at the same time cinema has played a negative role in areas such as public trust indicators, institutional trust, social cohesion, social participation and civic involvement, citizenship, national identification, social identification, social acceptance, law abiding, decisions and choices, social vitality, hope, sense of social security, attitude towards childbearing and marital fidelity. The findings indicate that within the framework of the two theories of pattern making and social expectation, Iranian cinema has not had a relative role in improving social development indicators in the country.