Civil society and social networks in the Islamic Republic of Iran from the Perspective of Ludwig Wittgenstein's Theory of Language Games

According to Wittgenstein's theory of language games, which is based on the concepts like "rules of the game" and "different forms of life," the words have various meanings in different forms of social life. The analysis of the civil society in the Islamic Republic in the context of the theory of language games has been considered from this perspective: “Throughout Iran's history, the political system’s domination over the social and cultural system caused various language games in different forms of life. So, the language games in some forms of life, rather than being voluntary and stemming, have been affected by coercion, need, insecurity, and sometimes reluctance.” In this article, by a combination of descriptive-cognitive-discourse methodology, a futuristic analysis of the impact of social networks on civil society, and the opportunities and risks was aimed. In response to the question, "From the perspective of language game theory how is civil society in the Islamic Republic affected by cyberspace and social networks?" It was answered that in the form of virtual life, Iranian civil society had found the opportunity to play in a new capacity and interact with the international community. So, the current period can be called "transformation" in the system of rights and duties of people and state. Simultaneously, it was argued that the form of virtual life disrupts the traditional order and way of life, thinking, and beliefs of the people, and ignoring it, in the medium term, will bring the social decline of the civil order.