Amir-Ebrahimi 345unknown and anonymous using a pseudonym. However, even writing
with a pseudonym does not mean total freedom from the constraints
of the judgment of a moral society. Sometimes the blogger’s identity is
revealed publicly or among family, friends or colleagues. This can produce
new sources of self-censorship and limitations that parallel the limitations
of real physical space.
Censorship and self-censorship in weblogs: A gender perspective
Millions of people now disclose aspects of themselves, their personal
lives and their intimate details in front of others each day via blog-
ging, Facebook or YouTube. Iranians are not exempt from this trend.
Cyberspace has diminished the oddity of personal narration in public,
and people are now more used to reading about the lives of individuals
in cyberspace, with all their transgressions from conventional images in
Iran. This is why many young female bloggers, despite diverse attacks
and pressure in both virtual and physical space from government, other
bloggers, family or colleagues, choose to talk about themselves with
greater transparency and to discuss controversial issues, such as sexu-
ality, that are still considered taboo in Iranian society. After the years
of Weblogistan’s existence, these revelations have brought about more
tolerance online regarding female bloggers. However, this is not the
same in “offline” society. To live safely in virtual and physical spaces in
Iran and to be at the same time visible and outspoken, to dare to speak
about their personal experiences, their sexual lives, or simply about their
everyday lives as women in Iranian society, female bloggers must write
indirectly and give little personal information that could be used against
them, which allows them to trespass some of the moral boundaries of
Iranian society.^40
mshaspandānE (Farnaz Seifi—http://farnaaz.org/) is a young femi-
nist activist who has blogged since 2003 under her real name. She refuses
to write anonymously because she believes that writing under a pseud-
onym adds another layer to her personality. She also believes that Iranian
women should write more about themselves, arguing that virtual space is
the only place where women can break down taboos and talk about their