Representation of the Army's Social Capital on Social Media: A Computational Mixed-Methods Model

Mousavi Shidi, Mehdi; Oria, Mehdi; Vahdaninia, Valiallah; Kazemi, Moein

doi:10.22034/dfsr.2026.2075934.1965

Representation of the Army's Social Capital on Social Media: A Computational Mixed-Methods Model

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

mehdi mousavi shidi ¹

Mehdi Oria ²

valiallah vahdaninia ³

Moein Kazemi ⁴

¹ Assistant professor of geopolitics. IRI Military Command and Staff University, Tehran, Iran. (Corresponding Author) E-mail: m.moosavishahidi@casu.ac.ir

² Graduate of Strategic Cyberspace Management, University of National Defense, Tehran, Iran.

³ Assistant Professor of Public Policy, IRI Military Command and Staff University, Tehran, Iran

⁴ Graduate of Social Sciences, Allameh Tabataba'i University, Tehran, Iran

10.22034/dfsr.2026.2075934.1965

Abstract

Objective: Social capital is a vital asset for the legitimacy and effectiveness of state institutions, particularly the armed forces. In the digital era, social media actively shapes public opinion, making its measurement challenging. This study aims to analyze media representation and quantitatively measure the social capital of the Islamic Republic of Iran Army by applying an innovative computational mixed-methods model.
Methods: Using a Computational Social Science framework, large-scale data related to the Army were collected from Twitter, Instagram, and Telegram over a three-year period (2022–2024). The data were analyzed through thematic, sentiment, and emotion analyses based on Plutchik's model. A comprehensive social capital index was calculated by weighting each platform and considering user interaction metrics.
Findings: The final social capital index was 52/95%, indicating a neutral-to-positive standing. The index showed significant fluctuation, dropping to 44/08% during internal protests (2022) and rising to 64/41% following external military tensions (2024). This corresponded with a public discourse shift from "response to civil demands to military capabilities...
Conclusions: The Army's social capital is dynamic and context-dependent, vulnerable to internal crises but resilient to external threats. This highlights the need for strategic, differentiated communication approaches.

Keywords

Social capital

army

Iran

representation

Subjects

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