Philosophies
Ayatollah Khamenei
Since the 1979 revolution, the Iranian government has been a unitary Islamic republic. Though elections are held for top political positions, like president, all real political power lies with the supreme leader, a position currently held by Ayatollah Ali Hosseini Khamenei. Iran's media system is reflective of its centralized, authoritarian government; the state controls virtually aspects of Iranian media. It operates its media system according to a sort of ethnocentric social responsibility model. Content is strictly regulated to promote values, behaviors, and activities that are seen as morally compatible with conservative Islamic tradition. Likewise, domestic and foreign media are censored to eliminate immoral influences, which often coincide with popular western trends prominent in media systems like that of the United States or Czech Republic.
Iranian society, however, is amongst the most developed in the region. It is ideologically diverse, and very young (nearly 60% of its population is under the age of 30). Aided by ever-improving communications technology, Iranians increasingly find ways around state censorship to access the global media system. This has lead to increased calls for liberalization, and the melding of globally popular media phenomena with traditional Persian culture. In a way, this media subculture has given a large portion of Iranian society a very well-rounded media experience, because it forces them to look to a variety media systems for information.
Iranian society, however, is amongst the most developed in the region. It is ideologically diverse, and very young (nearly 60% of its population is under the age of 30). Aided by ever-improving communications technology, Iranians increasingly find ways around state censorship to access the global media system. This has lead to increased calls for liberalization, and the melding of globally popular media phenomena with traditional Persian culture. In a way, this media subculture has given a large portion of Iranian society a very well-rounded media experience, because it forces them to look to a variety media systems for information.
Persian culture has a deep-seeded appreciation for the arts, and they are a point of emphasis for both the official media system and the popular media subculture. The melding of traditional Persian culture with modern, global influences has given Persian art, both from Iran and across the globe, a world-wide appeal. In particular, Persian music and film have large international followings.