Iranian bloggers' narratives of representing citizenship power on Instagram (a qualitative study)

The present study aimed to qualitatively examine the representation of citizen power on Instagram based on the narratives of Iranian bloggers. The research employed a virtual ethnography method, and in-depth interviews were conducted with 20 bloggers using judgmental sampling.



The findings of the study showed that citizen power on Instagram, according to the narratives of Iranian bloggers, manifests in six main themes as follows:



Victimized Citizen – This theme includes the experiences of feeling humiliated, excluded, and inferior.



Demanding Citizen – Comprised of three sub-themes: the right to speak (freedom of expression), the right to ask, and the right to be seen.



Observant Citizen – Based on three sub-themes: social responsibility, formation of civil society, and the existence of campaigns.



Critical Citizen – The main components include criticism of current government policies, criticism of various programs, and criticism of policy and program implementation methods.



Resistant Citizen (Symbolic Resistance) – Core sub-themes include disregard for official policies, opposition to the existing formal order, and substitution or alternatives.



Networked Citizen – Defined through three sub-themes: online storytelling, sharing ideas, and commenting.



Overall, citizen power, based on the narratives of Iranian bloggers, is most prominently displayed on Instagram, where citizens have found the opportunity and space to represent and exercise their power in the virtual environment.