exploring the effect of icts penetration on social development

development in the social aspects of each society is a very important academic and practical field. in the information revolutionage, information and communication technologies are penetrating all levels of societies and have catalyzed the process of development in every country and encourage many scholars to study how these technologies affect the social, political and economic aspects of each society. this study examines the effect of icts penetration on social development, as an important component of the process of development. in this paper, in order to explore the effect comprehensively, the interview method and qualitative approaches such as grounded theory are used. eighteen scholars in the fields of social science, public policy and information and technology were interviewed to investigate how ict affects the social development. the results of the analyses of the interviews were categorized into three mechanisms: making competency, increasing public demands, and making changes in social institutions. the explanation of each factor regarding the effects of ict on social development is discussed. in the end, some ideas for further research are presented.