چکیده:
The purpose of this research is to study the role of media in influencing public opinion through the representation of certain events. The case study of this research is the extent of the influence of news media in shaping the public opinion of Americans and Iranians toward each other. By studying the public opinion of a small group of Iranians and Americans, it is possible to understand to some extent their attitudes toward each other and the extent of their susceptibility to mass media in the formation of these opinions. Therefore, the present research has attempted, through qualitative and case studies of a number of Iranians and Americans (most of whom were educated), to uncover their attitudinal layers and, using 'Representation Theory,' to assess the role of mass media in shaping public opinion. Representation means that a medium is never considered a neutral tool or an impartial mediator in presenting an image; because the media relies on language and meaning, and language and meaning within the framework of discourse are always dependent on power. Therefore, the representation of events by the media—regardless of the debate over its being ethical or unethical—possesses ideological bias and moves towards weakening or stabilizing a specific power and discourse. The findings of this research show that Americans are more influenced by their media than Iranians, and American media provide a negative representation of Iran and Iranians. Consequently, the formation of spaces for direct interaction between these two domains—in scientific, research, etc., spheres—affects the sphere of American public opinion far more than the sphere of Iranian public opinion.
خلاصه ماشینی:
Therefore, the present research has attempted, through qualitative and case studies of a number of Iranians and Americans (most of whom were educated), to uncover their attitudinal layers and, using "Representation Theory," to assess the role of mass media in shaping public opinion.
Keywords Mass media, media influence, public opinion, representation, discourse, ideology, Islamic Republic of Iran, United States of America (*) Assistant Professor of Management, Faculty of Social Sciences and Economics, Payame Noor University/ Alirabiee@csr.
Therefore, by understanding the power and influence of media, the present article considers answering the following questions among its primary objectives: One. To what extent are Iranian and American public opinions influenced by the representation of their own media?
Also, other findings from the study of the responses indicate that most of these respondents were heavily influenced by the media and received most of their information about Iran from mass media, which has led to the formation of stereotypical attitudes or, in some cases, prejudices against Iranians.
In the study of Iranian public opinion based on contact, findings indicate that Iranian respondents who have not traveled to America, have interacted with Americans mostly through cyberspace, which can be said that in recent decades this type of communication has created a suitable opportunity for promoting intercultural relations and it can be said that for Iranians, it is considered the fastest way to establish communication with other cultures.
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