Only 1.8 percent of Iranians have social media activities using only domestic applications like Soroush, a messaging app, and Rubika, a social network like Instagram. That’s the finding of a recent poll by the government-affiliated Iranian Students Polling Agency (ISPA).
While 27 percent of respondents said they did not use any social networks, domestic or foreign, 48.4 percent said they used only foreign platforms such as Telegram, Instagram and WhatsApp. Just under 23 percent said they used both.
The poll is topical given hardliners in parliament proposed legislation in July aimed at more effective filtering of foreign-owned social networks. Instagram is the only one accessed in Iran without using a VPN (virtual private network) or anti-filtering software.
The poll found WhatsApp the most popular social network with 44.8 percent using it daily. Instagram was second with 39.3 percent using it at least once a day.
ISPA reported that 19.8 percent of those using social networks did so for business while 55 percent said they or family members bought goods or services. There was little fear over security. Only 14.8 percent said they were very worried over their personal information being stolen and 44.8 expressed no concern.
The poll was taken by phone August 8-11 with a sample of 1,570 participants over 18 in both urban and rural areas. Polls taken in Iran must be viewed with the fear factor in mind. Some respondents might fear that pollsters could be government agents.
Read Full Story: https://iranintl.com/en/iran-in-brief/poll-finds-61-iran-use-foreign-social-media
Your content is great. However, if any of the content contained herein violates any rights of yours, including those of copyright, please contact us immediately by e-mail at media[@]kissrpr.com.