Virtual Social Networks and Public Security

Virtual social networks have a critical role in providing and performing political, security, religious programs and making the public thought infrastructure to ensure public security and are important in this respect. Therefore, the present study aimed to investigate the role of virtual social networks in enhancing public security in the city of Qom.

The present study has been conducted in a descriptive-analytic method through survey research type. The statistical population consisted of all users who were using religious social networks in the city of Qom. Due to the large population, 384 individuals were selected as the sample size based Cochran formula and non-probability quota sampling method. Findings and

The analytical findings from the users' perspective at the confidence level of 95% show a significant relationship between the studied variables in promoting public security in the city of Qom. That is to say, if the users' interactional communications such as interaction and mutual chats, active social participations for sharing the ideas and mutual cooperation with police occur, then it will be an influential indicator in the promotion and development of public security. In addition, users can play a role in promoting public security through sharing interests and demands related to public safety, criticizing and assessing police activity, and giving comments (constructive and free) due to anonymity of users on religious social networks. Users believe that religious tendency is an influential variable in promoting public security. Also, the interactors can participate in the promotion of public security via their own ways of practices on the networks, including the way of absorption and gathering information, supervising the type generated content and categorizing the information for sharing with police. A kind of social bond has been created between users in the virtual religious social networks. Users have increased their sense of integrity and within-group interaction with police on social networks by setting up online communities in religious networks interacting and in line with police activities and according to the mobilizing and synergistic characteristics of social networks and this approach can be effective in promoting public security. On the other hand, the civil affairs of the members of society in virtual social networks such as cultural issues, public interests and demands, citizens' rights related to security, and social issues before they become critical and security in social networks are other effective variables in enhancing public security