Cybercultural Transgressions in Comments by Iranian Instagram Users

Abstract

Abstract The ease of communication and anonymity that computer-mediated communication provides has created fertile ground for transgressive (socially non-normative) online behaviours. The purpose of the current research is to explore the types of transgressive comments on Iranian celebrities’ Instagram pages. Within a qualitative descriptive approach, the current research employs Braun and Clarke’s ‘thematic analysis’ to analyze transgressive user comments. Using a judgmental (purposive) non-probability sampling technique, we selected posts from 22 Iranian celebrities’ Instagram pages. Afterwards, we analyzed 53,066 comments in these posts and extracted four dominant transgressive themes: ‘unwanted advertisement,’ ‘partner seeking,’ ‘attention seeking,’ and ‘emotional release’; we then extracted their sub-themes. Transgressive behaviours disrupt the communicative experience on social networks, endanger users’ security and safety, and can lead to mental problems and even offline harassment and violence. Recognizing these behaviours and their patterns can contribute to more effective use of social control means.