Belief in the Name Phenomenon in the Cyberspace (Case Study: The Lived Experience of Users of Virtual Sites on the Belief in the Influence of Names on Destiny)

MADJIDI KHAMENEH, FARIDEH

doi:10.30465/scs.2025.52076.3022

Belief in the Name Phenomenon in the Cyberspace (Case Study: The Lived Experience of Users of Virtual Sites on the Belief in the Influence of Names on Destiny)

Articles in Press

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Author

FARIDEH MADJIDI KHAMENEH

Research Center of Cultural Heritage and Tourism

10.30465/scs.2025.52076.3022

Abstract

The study is a phenomenological explain of name change in cyberspace. The question is about the participants' perceptions and reasons for visiting virtual name change sites. Ten sites were selected using purposive sampling, and the researcher analyzed the content of user comments using a qualitative method and an interpretive symbolic anthropology approach.

The content of 200 posts was examined users' lived experiences (before and after the name change) and sub-themes, main and central themes were extracted. The findings indicate a shift in users' understanding from a perception of misery (before the name change) to a perception of happiness (after the name change) and indicate: 1-Significant increase in female visitors compared to male users to the aforementioned sites,2- Influence and persuasion of men by wives, sisters or mothers to change their names, 3-The participants' wishes and hopes, 4-Users' return to previous beliefs (the effect of name on destiny) when they are afraid of the current situation and lack of trust in the future 5- Digital capitalism exploits users' fear of the future. In the theoretical inference section, the researcher has addressed the views of interpretive symbolic anthropologists such as Clifford Geertz, Victor Turns, and Mary Douglas.

Keywords

Belief in the Name phenomenon

Name-changing

qualitative research

interpretive symbolic anthropology

digital capitalism

cyberspace

Subjects