on the Instagram and ClubHouse digital apps;
Millions of Iranians interact inside and outside the country, and most of the activities and propaganda campaigns are hot, unlike the calm prevailing in the Iranian street on the eve of the presidential elections.
These applications and social networking sites provided the opportunity for many Iranians at home and abroad to discuss the elections with each other for long hours in the presence of officials, candidates, and political activists.
The 13th round of the Iranian presidential elections is scheduled to take place tomorrow morning, Friday, amid expectations that the turnout will decrease, after the widespread exclusion of presidential candidates by the Guardian Council.
In contrast to the electronic space, which enjoys a warm electoral atmosphere, the advertisements of candidates and election campaigns appear in the streets and rallies less than in the past.
A sign reading "National unity in the path of the national interest" (Al Jazeera)
Reducing election campaigns
Interior Minister Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli says that schools, universities and mosques are almost closed, and "unfortunately, the candidates and their supporters did not gather this time in electoral headquarters in many provinces, and therefore there are no electoral campaigns and rallies, which made the competitive atmosphere weak in this round of elections." The election".
Cyberspace plays an important and influential role in the social and political activities of Iranians, especially the elections.
According to the expert and media activist, Poria Astarki - in an interview with Al Jazeera Net - the Internet access to more than 70 million Iranians at low prices, in exchange for high costs for printing banners and propaganda activities in the field, as well as the spread of the Corona virus;
All this led to the displacement of the people to these applications and their exploitation by the candidates as a platform for their electoral propaganda.
A sign on the street of Tehran University reads, "Elections are a blessing, and participation in them is a thank you for this blessing" (Al-Jazeera)
The "WhatsApp" application is on the list of the most popular applications in digital social communication in Iran;
It is used by 64% of them, followed by Instagram, which is followed by 46% of Iranians, and Telegram, which is followed by 37% of the public.
Away from the virtual reality, Al Jazeera Net toured the streets of the capital, Tehran, and surveyed the opinions of Iranians in favor of participating in the electoral round and boycotting it.
From Shahrak, west of Tehran, Amir - a 55-year-old retired teacher - says he is still hesitant about participating in the elections.
He added, "We have voted for 40 years in the hope that the situation will improve and that better options will come, but unfortunately the conditions become more difficult year after year, and the number of qualified people decreases, and I believe that none of the candidates has a successful record in running the country."
A large banner in Vali Asr Square in central Tehran urges people to participate in the elections (Al-Jazeera)
Weak hope for change
From the Tajrish area to Wali Asr Square in the center of the capital, the young Ismail - who works as a taxi driver - made his decision not to vote in the elections;
He has no hope of improving conditions, and he holds a master's degree in his specialty, without being able to get a suitable job, but he also wondered, "How can I trust presidential candidates while they threaten each other and expose their weaknesses in front of the cameras?"
Somaya and her friends will participate in the vote, as it is a legitimate duty of every citizen, according to their belief (Al-Jazeera)
Not far away, in Wali al-Asr Square, Somaya and her two friends, who were carrying Iranian paper flags and a picture of Seyyed Ibrahim Raisi, said that they would "certainly" participate in the vote, as they believed "this is the legitimate duty of every citizen," and in their opinion, "Whoever boycotts the elections is the one who listens to the opposition's speaking channels in Farsi abroad.
It was noticed that some podiums and platforms opposite the city theater and near the University of Tehran invite the public to participate in the elections.
A good number of speakers demanded that they not participate in the elections due to poor expectations of tangible changes and the ineffectiveness of their votes in the living conditions.
A platform opposite the University of Tehran urges people to participate in the elections (Al-Jazeera)
With the system and against the government
Hamed, an Iranian cleric who was present in the square, said, "It is true that we have a lot of problems and people are resentful and object, but this resentment is with the government, not the regime."
And the cleric continued - in his speech to Al-Jazeera Net - that "all people stand behind the regime, even those who boycott the elections, and you can see this in the funeral of Qassem Soleimani, when all the people attended his funeral from various political and social classes in abundance."