Journal of Iranian Social Studies

A sociological analysis of how parents are represented in X based on big data (Case study of Persian-speaking X users)

Articles in Press

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

Seyade Fateme Firouzabadi 1
Abdolhossein Kalantari 2
Masoud Asadpour 3

1 M.A. in Sociology, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran

2 Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran

3 Faculty of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran

10.22034/jss.2026.2074686.1925
Abstract
Background and aim: Drawing on a computational social science approach and situated within the theoretical framework of parenting and power relations within the family, the present study examines how parents are represented by Persian-speaking users on the X (Twitter) platform. The study aims to explore the lived experiences reflected on X by children and the ways in which family relationships are represented in virtual space.
Data and method: To this end, using data-mining techniques and big-data analysis, one million relevant tweets posted between Mordad 1402 and Esfand 1402- between August 2023 and March 2024- were collected and classified through purposive sampling and theoretical coding at two levels: theme-based and theory-based.
Findings: The findings reveal three main patterns in the representation of parents: “supportive parents” (affectionate and democratic), “authoritarian parents” (traditional and controlling), and “unequal parents” (shaped by social and economic disparities).
Conclusion: The dominant representation portrays parents in an empathetic and affectionate manner, whereas critical tweets concerning parents’ class-based or economic circumstances in society—categorized as “unequal parents”—received the highest level of user engagement.
Keywords: Parenting, Big Data, Computational Social Sciences, Authoritarian Parents, Unequal Parents.

Keywords

Parenting
big data
computational social science
authoritarian parenting
unequal parenting
Subjects
Journal of Iranian Social Studies

Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript
Available Online from 17 June 2026

  • Receive Date 14 October 2025
  • Accept Date 19 December 2025
  • First Publish Date 17 June 2026
  • Publish Date 17 June 2026

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