The failure of filtering projects in Iran
Instagram was an attractive social network for people all around the world from the very beginning of its launch in 2010. However, its special appeal in Iran was owed to one thing: Facebook being one of the largest virtual social spaces for Iranians was filtered and blocked. The unavailability of Instagram quickly drew Iranian users away from Facebook. Of course, Instagram was also filtered years later. But when the rules of the game had changed, Instagram had become so ingrained in the daily lives of Iranians that even when it was filtered, no one went anywhere and they found a way back.
Unofficial reports suggest that more than 40 million Iranians are Instagram users, making it the most popular social network in Iran. Data findings show that in 2022, out of 6 million public Iranian accounts on Instagram, 450 million posts were published, and Iranian users see Instagram posts more than 25,000 times per second.