Analyzing the Causal Process of the Formation and Institutionalization of Civil Movements in Iran with an Emphasis on the Role of the Media

Abstract

The aim of the present study was to analyze the causal process of the formation and institutionalization of civil movements in Iran, with a focus on the role of the media. This study was conducted using a qualitative approach and grounded theory, based on the systematic model of Strauss and Corbin. The research population consisted of experts in sociology, political science, and communication studies, 15 of whom were selected through purposive sampling. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and analyzed using open, axial, and selective coding. To ensure the validity and trustworthiness of the study, constant comparison of data, review of the coding process, control of the analytical path, and expert confirmation of codes and categories were employed. The findings indicated that the causal process of the formation and institutionalization of civil movements in Iran is organized into 4 dimensions, 8 components, and 37 indicators. The main dimensions include structural deprivation and cumulative failure, collective awakening and civic coalition, communicative mobilization and action triggers, and the blockage and erosion of institutional pathways. These dimensions were explained through 8 core components, namely perceptions of injustice and inequality, accumulation of unanswered demands, increased social awareness and claim-making, formation of collective identity and cohesion, expansion of communication and media capacity, situational triggers and influential actors, declining trust in formal institutions, and weakness or blockage of formal channels of participation. The results showed that the media in this process are not merely tools for information transfer; rather, through the representation of demands, strengthening public awareness, social networking, and facilitating the coordination of collective action, they play a decisive role in the formation and institutionalization of civil movements.