{"id":5934,"date":"2026-05-21T10:28:47","date_gmt":"2026-05-21T10:28:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/filter.watch\/english\/?p=5934"},"modified":"2026-05-21T10:28:47","modified_gmt":"2026-05-21T10:28:47","slug":"investigative-report-may-2026-exploring-the-lived-experience-of-iranian-users-during-internet-blackouts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/filter.watch\/english\/2026\/05\/21\/investigative-report-may-2026-exploring-the-lived-experience-of-iranian-users-during-internet-blackouts\/","title":{"rendered":"The Right to Internet: From Individual Claims to a Social Crisis ; Exploring the Lived Experience of Iranian Users During Internet Blackouts"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This report is based on an analysis of 20 in-depth, semi-structured interviews conducted with 16 adults and 4 adolescents from different cities across Iran. The participants represent a diverse range of professions and social backgrounds, from students and homemakers to programmers, traders, and freelancers. Despite differences in age and occupation, all of them share a common reality shaped by the consequences of international internet shutdowns in Iran: a reality in which they are forced to pay exorbitant costs for unstable VPNs and proxy configurations, compelled to use domestic platforms for work, education, and everyday communication, and left with deep anxiety and uncertainty about the future of internet access in Iran as the country moves toward a \u201ctiered\u201d internet access model.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">One of the report\u2019s key findings is the emergence of a growing divide between what many Iranians believe should be a basic right, free and equal access to the global internet, and the reality they face in everyday life. In practice, many users are now forced to rely on expensive and unreliable VPNs or use domestic platforms connected to Iran\u2019s state-controlled national intranet, which is increasingly replacing open access to the global internet. This experience is accompanied by persistent feelings of anger, humiliation, and shame.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">At the same time, the interviews also reveal a form of resistance rooted in an ethical refusal to accept the normalization of a \u201ctiered internet\u201d system and a determination not to fully surrender to the current conditions.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The interviews with adolescents reveal additional layers to this crisis. For many teenagers, the internet is not just a communication tool, but a space where identity, personal interests, and future aspirations are shaped. Losing access to platforms such as YouTube, TikTok, and Pinterest means losing what many of them describe as a \u201cspace for inspiration and learning,\u201d one for which no meaningful domestic alternative exists.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">At the same time, the experience of self-censorship when using domestic messaging applications, combined with the constant feeling of being monitored, raises concerns that, for the next generation, the very concept of free communication may gradually be replaced by a model defined by surveillance and risk.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">From the perspective of online education, learning has increasingly been confined to a limited ecosystem of domestic platforms, including Shad, Eitaa, Bale, and Skyroom, which participants consistently described as unstable, slow, and ineffective.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">More broadly, the report warns that the internet in Iran is no longer merely a technological utility, but a space deeply tied to identity, ethics, and politics. Decisions such as whether to purchase a VPN, use Starlink, join domestic messaging platforms, or accept a tiered internet model increasingly force users to confront a deeper question: What kind of society do I want to live in, and how much am I willing to pay for the life and freedoms I seek?<\/span><\/p>\n<h4><b>Key Findings at a Glance<\/b><\/h4>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Most interviewees described the shutdown of the global internet in Iran as a form of \u201csocial injustice\u201d and a \u201cviolation of a basic human right.\u201d<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The VPN market has become deeply unequal. Reported prices ranged from approximately $0.88 per gigabyte to approximately $17.65 per gigabyte (both calculated at an exchange rate of 170,000 tomans per US dollar). Only those whose income depends entirely on internet access remain willing to pay such extreme costs for VPN services. As Iran\u2019s minimum hourly wage in 2026 stood at roughly $0.48, stable VPN access has effectively become a luxury.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A large segment of the population, particularly lower-income, middle-aged, and less digitally dependent users, has effectively given up on accessing the global internet.\u00a0 Instead, they have turned to satellite television, SMS, voice calls, or domestic platforms for communication, information, and entertainment.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The use of domestic services, especially platforms such as Bale, Eitaa, Rubika, Aparat (video-sharing platform), Zarebin (search engine), and GapGPT (AI chatbot), all repeatedly mentioned throughout the interviews, is generally experienced as something driven by necessity rather than choice and is often accompanied by feelings of anger, frustration, humiliation, and shame.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Users viewed Starlink with a mix of hope and fear: while many described it as a \u201cgolden opportunity\u201d to regain access to the global internet, they also saw it as carrying serious legal and financial risks. The idea of collectively purchasing and sharing Starlink access emerged as a potential solution, but fears of surveillance, public reporting, and declining social trust have limited its wider adoption.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Migration appeared in almost every interview as an underlying possibility. Although participants did not frame it as being \u201csolely because of the internet,\u201d internet restrictions were consistently identified as one of the primary catalysts driving the desire to leave the country.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Responses to the prospect of a tiered internet model generally fall into two categories: ethical resistance and refusal to accept privileged access based on favoritism, or reluctant acceptance driven by desperation and the need to maintain livelihoods.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The psychological consequences of internet shutdowns, including depression, professional burnout, feelings of falling behind the modern world, and growing isolation within families, were as prominent in the interviews as the economic harms, and in some cases even more so.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h4><b>Methodology and Participant Profile<\/b><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The findings of this report are based on a five-part questionnaire. Each section focused on a specific dimension of users\u2019 internet experiences under Iran\u2019s current conditions:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Section One:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Current methods of accessing the global internet, and the services, functions, and capabilities that users feel they have lost.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Section Two:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> The amount users are willing to pay for internet access through VPN services.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Section Three:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Users\u2019 preferences between purchasing expensive VPNs or relying on domestic platforms and applications.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Section Four:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Perceptions of Starlink, including its opportunities and risks.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Section Five:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Adaptation to the current situation, expectations about the future, and reactions to the prospect of a tiered internet model.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h4><b>Demographic Composition<\/b><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Among the 16 adult participants, 9 were women, and 7 were men. Their ages ranged from 23 to 52 years old. Geographically, the interviews were conducted with participants from Tehran, Karaj, Mashhad, Urmia, Zanjan, Kashan, and Shiraz.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The participants also represented a wide range of professions and social backgrounds, including office employees, freelancers, traders, programmers, homemakers, university students, language teachers, Instagram content creators, writers, and embassy staff.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In addition to the main report, four interviews were conducted with students aged 11-17 from Tehran and Isfahan to capture adolescent perspectives.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Participants were selected using purposive sampling to capture a diversity of experiences across age groups, gender, and occupational backgrounds, including individuals with varying levels of dependence on internet access for work and daily life. Geographic diversity emerged through recruitment and was not treated as a predefined sampling criterion.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">While the sample is not statistically representative of Iranian society as a whole, this qualitative study is intended to capture recurring lived experiences, social patterns, perceptions, and adaptation strategies related to internet shutdowns, digital inequality, and evolving internet restrictions in Iran.<\/span><\/p>\n<h4><b>Methodological Considerations<\/b><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The wording of interview excerpts has been preserved as closely as possible to the original language in order to retain the emotional texture of participants\u2019 responses. Through close analysis of the interviews and lived experiences described by participants, this report seeks to identify recurring patterns and shared themes while also paying attention to distinct and exceptional experiences.<\/span><\/p>\n<h4><b>Section One: Methods of Access and Services That Have Lost Their Original Function<\/b><\/h4>\n<h4><b>1.1. An Overview of Access Methods<\/b><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A clear pattern emerged across nearly all interviews: access to the global internet has become a form of \u201cprivilege reserved for a minority.\u201d Participants generally described access to the global internet as falling into three broad categories: those who remain connected despite the high financial costs, those who have largely abandoned access altogether, and a smaller group that relies on shared access arrangements to stay connected.<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Group One: Connected at Any Cost<\/b><b><br \/>\n<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Individuals whose work depends heavily on internet access, including programmers, traders, social media managers, international freelancers, and online shop owners. Out of necessity, many in this group have purchased expensive VPN configurations costing between approximately $5.88 and $17.65 per gigabyte (based on an exchange rate of 170,000 tomans per US dollar).<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Group Two: Those Left Behind<\/b><b><br \/>\n<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Older adults, people whose jobs are not directly dependent on internet access, and lower-income groups who cannot afford expensive VPN services. Many in this category have shifted toward satellite television, phone calls, SMS, and domestic applications for communication, information, and entertainment.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Group Three: Shared-Access Users<\/b><b><br \/>\n<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A smaller group of users who access the global internet collectively through shared VPN subscriptions, sometimes provided by friends or relatives living abroad.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<blockquote><p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0\u201cAmong the people around me, even in my own family, almost nobody has bought a VPN because it\u2019s just too expensive. Most people have basically given up on accessing the global internet and now rely on satellite TV for news and information. The only people still paying for VPNs are those who absolutely need internet access for work and making a living.\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2014 Maryam, 28, married, office employee, Tehran<\/span><\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote><p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0\u201cThe people I knew who still had access to the global internet were paying somewhere between about $3.53 and $5.88 per gigabyte for VPNs (based on an exchange rate of 170,000 tomans per US dollar). After several days of being completely offline, I finally bought one myself at the same prices. But honestly, even with the VPN, connecting is still a struggle. The connection constantly drops, and most of the time it doesn\u2019t work at all.\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i style=\"font-size: 1em;\">\u2014 Sina, 42, married, trader, Tehran<\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote><p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cOut of maybe 30 people around me, I only know three who actually managed to buy VPNs and keep access to the global internet.\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2014 Sina, 42, married, trader, Tehran<\/span><\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<h4><b>1.2. Key Functions and Capabilities That Have Been Lost<\/b><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The shutdown of the global internet has disrupted many essential parts of everyday life, a pattern that appeared repeatedly across the interviews in different ways. Participants\u2019 experiences generally fell into five broad categories of loss:<\/span><\/p>\n<h4><b>a) Work and Income<\/b><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The most severe damage has occurred in the sphere of work and livelihoods. Participants provided numerous examples of layoffs, unemployment, business collapses, and major disruptions to their own work and to the work of people around them.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">These accounts included social media managers who said that \u201ceveryone was laid off,\u201d crypto traders who described having \u201call their orders canceled,\u201d Instagram-based sellers who lost access to their domestic audiences, remote freelancers cut off from international projects, an online language teacher forced to move classes onto domestic platforms, an SEO specialist whose company\u2019s main website became inaccessible, a blogger who reportedly turned to manual labor and cargo carrying to survive financially, and a scientific researcher whose academic writing and research activities had effectively come to a halt.<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cHonestly, almost everyone I knew who was working remotely for companies outside Iran ended up losing their jobs. The moment access to the global internet became unstable, those international projects basically disappeared.\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2014 Mehnaz, 30, married, sales manager in the clothing industry, Tehran<\/span><\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote><p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cMy whole life was built around crypto trading. I was trading on international exchanges, and that was how I made a living. Now that entire way of earning money has basically fallen apart.\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2014 Sina, 42, married, trader, Tehran<\/span><\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote><p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cI even know a blogger who got so financially desperate after losing work that they ended up taking jobs doing manual labor and carrying heavy loads just to get by.\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2014 Mahsa, 39, freelancer and Instagram content creator, Shiraz<\/span><\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<h4><b>b) Everyday Professional Tools<\/b><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Participants provided a long list of services and platforms whose inaccessibility has effectively crippled their professional activities and daily workflows. These included Google Drive, Outlook email services, Microsoft Teams, Figma, Freepik, ChatGPT, Spotify, Castbox, Trello, Booking.com, MyFitnessPal, the trading application \u201cChand,\u201d and various design-related websites and tools.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Importantly, even users who still have access to VPN services explained that constant disruptions and unstable connections have made these tools unreliable for professional use in practice.<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cMy employer overseas had paid for 100GB of Google Drive storage for me, but once the internet shutdown happened, it basically became useless to me. I lost access to my Spotify account, too. I even bought an expensive VPN just so I could send my work reports through Telegram, but honestly, even with the VPN, I still can\u2019t reliably upload the files.\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2014 Milad, 35, married, mechanical engineer working remotely with an Australian company, Mashhad<\/span><\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote><p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cI\u2019ve started keeping this mental checklist of things I need to rush and do whenever the internet briefly works again, because there are no real domestic replacements for them, things like Figma, Freepik, and design websites. You just wait for those short moments of connection and try to get everything done as fast as possible.\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2014 Maryam, 28, married, office employee, Tehran<\/span><\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<h4><b>c) Entertainment and Leisure<\/b><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Platforms and services such as Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, Pinterest, Twitter\/X, LinkedIn, Spotify, Castbox, Booking.com, and even certain online games have effectively disappeared from everyday life for many users.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Participants repeatedly pointed out that, from a broader policy perspective, the loss of entertainment platforms may appear less significant than economic or professional harms. Yet they emphasized that these losses carry profound psychological consequences.<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cThe internet used to be part of everyday life, part of how we lived. Losing it feels like losing an essential part of life itself. Entertainment is gone, simple pleasures are gone. It\u2019s kind of like clean air: you may not die immediately without it, but that doesn\u2019t mean the psychological damage isn\u2019t real.\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2014 Reza, 52, single, writer, Karaj<\/span><\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote><p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cSome games need access to the global internet. I had one that I used to play every night before going to sleep, it was my little comfort at the end of the day, a puzzle-solving game. And now it just doesn\u2019t work anymore.\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2014 Mahsa, 39, freelancer and Instagram content creator, Shiraz<\/span><\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<h4><b>c) Communication With Family and Friends Abroad<\/b><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">One of the most hidden, and painful, dimensions of this crisis is the loss of communication with loved ones living outside Iran. WhatsApp, Google Meet video calls, and family group chats have, for many people, effectively disappeared from daily life altogether.<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cTwo of my mother\u2019s sisters live in the United States, and she used to have video calls with them several times a week. Now she\u2019s lost all of that, and it\u2019s made her much more depressed and emotionally drained. She keeps asking me, \u2018Why won\u2019t they turn the internet back on?\u2019 My mother lives alone, and honestly, the internet and staying connected with family were her main source of comfort and companionship.\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0\u2014 Mahsa, 39, freelancer and Instagram content creator, Shiraz<\/span><\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<h4><b>e) Education and Professional Development<\/b><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">YouTube as a primary source of learning, ChatGPT as a research and work assistant, and access to international scientific and educational resources have all been severely disrupted or entirely lost for many users.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Participants repeatedly stressed that there are no meaningful domestic alternatives to these tools. Many described a growing feeling of \u201cfalling behind the modern world,\u201d particularly those whose education, professional development, or creative work depends on access to global digital resources.<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cWe\u2019re living in the age of AI, and now even something as basic as ChatGPT has become out of reach for us. Instead, we\u2019re forced to use some terrible Iranian alternative like GapGPT, a domestic AI chatbot promoted as Iran\u2019s version of ChatGPT, and honestly, it\u2019s nowhere near the same. It doesn\u2019t even deliver a fraction of what ChatGPT can do.\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2014 Maryam, 28, married, office employee, Tehran<\/span><\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote><p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cI constantly feel like I\u2019m falling behind, especially when it comes to technology. The other day I realized that several new versions of the phones I love had already been released, and I hadn\u2019t even heard about them.\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2014 Ali, 40, single, embassy employee, Tehran<\/span><\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<h4><b>1.3. Key Losses Experienced by Adolescents<\/b><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For many teenagers, the image of an \u201cideal internet\u201d is a collage made up of Pinterest, TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, Google, ChatGPT, and online gaming. None of the domestic alternatives are capable of replacing any of these elements, and adolescents expressed this far more bluntly and directly than adults did.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Participants described Rubika as \u201ccomplete bullshit,\u201d Aparat, a domestic video-sharing platform often described as Iran\u2019s version of YouTube, as \u201coutdated and primitive,\u201d and Zarebin, Iran\u2019s domestic search engine, as useless because \u201cit\u2019s not even connected to Google.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<h4><b>1. Visual and Inspiration-Based Platforms<\/b><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Teenagers emphasized that platforms such as Pinterest, TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram are not merely sources of entertainment. For them, these platforms shape daily routines, provide inspiration, influence identity formation, and even represent potential future career opportunities and sources of income.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">According to the adolescents interviewed, there are no meaningful domestic substitutes for these platforms. The alternatives promoted inside Iran, such as Rubika, Aparat, and Zarebin, were repeatedly described by participants as \u201coutdated,\u201d \u201cuseless,\u201d and fundamentally incapable of replacing the role global platforms play in their lives.<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cI mostly used Pinterest, and there\u2019s absolutely nothing like it on Iran\u2019s internet. Nothing. There\u2019s this search engine called Zarebin, but it\u2019s useless, it\u2019s not even properly connected to Google or anything meaningful. I also used TikTok all the time, and there\u2019s just no replacement for it.\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2014 Roham, 11, student, Isfahan<\/span><\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote><p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cEverything has completely changed. I\u2019m constantly on YouTube, I follow my favorite YouTubers all the time. Honestly, without Instagram and YouTube, I felt like I was losing my mind. I got so frustrated I just wanted to smash my head against the table.\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2014 Roshanak, 16, student, Tehran<\/span><\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote><p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cRubika has this so-called explore page and it\u2019s complete bullshit. Even the videos on Aparat from YouTubers are ancient. Maybe I\u2019ll eventually be forced to migrate to these apps, but honestly, that migration feels completely worthless.\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2014 Roshanak, 16, student, Tehran<\/span><\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote><p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cThere\u2019s supposedly an Instagram alternative called Rubika that some of my friends use, but it\u2019s nothing like Instagram. I used to buy lots of things through Instagram, stylish stuff from Turkey and Dubai. On Rubika, there\u2019s none of that. It\u2019s all ugly stuff.\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2014 Roham, 11, student, Isfahan<\/span><\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<h4><b>2. Education, Search Engines, and AI Tools<\/b><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For many adolescents, searching through Google, using educational YouTube content, and relying on ChatGPT for school assignments, research, and supplementary learning materials has become an essential part of everyday education. Participants explained that losing access to these tools has severely disrupted their ability to learn effectively.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">GapGPTa, a domestic AI chatbot promoted as Iran\u2019s alternative to ChatGPT, was described by interviewees as \u201csomewhat usable, but extremely weak\u201d compared to the global tools they previously relied on.<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cPeople use GapGPT instead of ChatGPT now. It\u2019s not completely terrible, but it\u2019s not really that useful either. Most students use it anyway because there\u2019s not much else available, and they end up spending a lot of time on it.\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2014 Arash, 17, student, Isfahan<\/span><\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote><p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cI study architecture at a technical high school, so I constantly need to search for references and ideas, and suddenly, none of that was possible anymore. Even Aparat became so overloaded that uploading anything there was almost impossible, and honestly, it hasn\u2019t been successful at replacing these platforms at all. We really resisted installing the Iranian apps for a long time, but eventually we ended up downloading all of them, Shad, Eitaa, Bale, because we were basically forced to.\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2014 Aida, 17, student, Isfahan<\/span><\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<h4><b>3. Online Gaming<\/b><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">One issue that appeared far more prominently among adolescents than adults was online gaming. Many teenagers explained that they have more or less \u201cgiven up\u201d on online games altogether because maintaining a stable connection has become nearly impossible.<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cI\u2019ve pretty much given up on online gaming at this point and mostly just watch movies instead. There are still a few limited servers that let people connect to international games, but they\u2019re very rare, and not everyone can access them.\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0\u2014 Arash, 17, student, Isfahan<\/span><\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<h4><b>Section Two: The Economics of Access; How Much Are Users Willing to Pay?<\/b><\/h4>\n<h4><b>2.1. The Financial Breaking Point<\/b><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">One of the clearest findings of this section is that, for part of the population, access to the global internet has effectively become a fixed monthly expense, a cost they continue to pay despite severe economic pressure. For others, however, the price of maintaining access has exceeded their financial breaking point, leading them to abandon the global internet altogether.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Participants\u2019 accounts suggest that within many social circles, only a small minority can still afford expensive VPN services and unstable custom configurations. Although the exact estimates varied slightly from one interview to another, the overall picture remained remarkably consistent:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Interview 2:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> \u201cMaybe around 20% of the people around me still try to access it.\u201d<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Interview 5:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> \u201cProbably only about 10% of the people I know are still connected, and even they use it very carefully so their VPN data doesn\u2019t run out after just two days.\u201d<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Interview 12:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> \u201cOut of around 30 people I know, only three still have access.\u201d (roughly 10%)<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Interview 14:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> \u201cAbout 90% of the people who gave up on the global internet didn\u2019t even switch to Iranian alternatives afterward.\u201d<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Interview 16:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> \u201cAround 60% of the people around me no longer have any access to the global internet at all. The remaining 40% connect only by paying ridiculous amounts of money for expensive VPN configurations sold by the gigabyte.\u201d<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h4><b>2.2. Behavioral Patterns in Response to Rising Costs<\/b><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Three distinct behavioral patterns emerged from the interviews:<\/span><\/p>\n<h4><b>1. Forced Continuation<\/b><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">People whose livelihoods depend directly on internet access continue paying these extreme costs despite the financial pressure, simply because, as many participants put it, \u201cthey have no other choice.\u201d This group includes crypto traders, programmers, international freelancers, and users whose VPN expenses are covered by foreign employers.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">One participant highlighted this dynamic very directly: \u201cThe only people who can keep going are people like me, whose employer pays for it.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<h4><b>2. Cyclical or \u201cWave-Like\u201d Behavior<\/b><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Another distinct pattern, explicitly described by one participant as a kind of \u201cup-and-down cycle\u201d, involves users repeatedly buying VPN access, becoming exhausted and frustrated, deciding it is no longer worth the cost, and then eventually purchasing it again. With each cycle, participants described becoming more resentful, angry, and emotionally drained.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This pattern resembles a cycle of dependency and return, suggesting that access to the global internet in Iran has evolved beyond a simple practical need and has become embedded in everyday life as a deeply ingrained social and psychological necessity.<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cWhat I\u2019ve been seeing is this kind of constant back-and-forth cycle. People pay for a VPN, then they get frustrated and say, \u2018It\u2019s not worth it anymore, I\u2019m done with this.\u2019 But after a while, they end up buying one again, only this time they\u2019re even more bitter and angry about the fact that they have to pay so much money just to access something they see as a basic right.\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0\u2014 Mehnaz, 30, married, sales manager in the clothing industry, Tehran<\/span><\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<h4><b>3. Withdrawal and Anger<\/b><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The majority of users, especially those who do not depend on the internet directly for work, eventually stop paying for VPN access altogether. Yet abandoning access does not bring acceptance or peace of mind. Participants repeatedly described feelings of anger, exhaustion, frustration, and depression accompanying this withdrawal.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">One interviewee described the pattern this way: \u201cMost people give up once the cost goes beyond what they can realistically afford. But at the same time, even after giving up, they stay angry and frustrated and keep cursing the people responsible for putting them in this situation.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This coexistence of resignation and rage emerged as one of the defining psychological patterns of the crisis.<\/span><\/p>\n<h4><b>2.3. Financial and Security Risks of Buying VPN Services<\/b><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Beyond the financial burden itself, participants also described purchasing VPN services as an increasingly risky and deeply untrustworthy experience. Users repeatedly complained about unstable connections, frequent service interruptions, the absence of guarantees or customer support, and widespread distrust toward VPN sellers.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">One participant summarized this frustration bluntly: \u201cPeople are often even more frustrated by the constant disconnections and the scams of VPN sellers than by the high prices themselves.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This atmosphere of distrust has made VPN purchases a high-risk transaction, even for users who can still afford them. There is no formal oversight, consumer protection mechanism, or reliable system for complaints and accountability. As a result, users are forced to place trust in anonymous sellers in two critical ways: first, whether the service will function at all, and second, whether it can actually be trusted to protect their privacy and security if it does work.<\/span><\/p>\n<h4><b>Section Three: Paying More or Switching to Domestic Platforms?<\/b><\/h4>\n<h4><b>3.1. Ideal Preferences Versus Forced Reality<\/b><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">At the level of personal preference, a large portion of participants still favor accessing global platforms through VPNs rather than using domestic applications, even despite the high costs, unstable connections, and risks associated with purchasing VPN services. The reason for this preference is not merely technical quality. For many users, global platforms represent a continued sense of connection to the outside world, freer access to information, and the ability to use tools and services that have been part of their daily lives for years.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In practice, however, a widening gap has emerged between users\u2019 actual preferences and their everyday behavior. Many participants explained that even when they still have VPN access, they are forced to return to domestic applications to communicate with family members, colleagues, clients, classmates, and work groups, simply because many of the people around them can no longer afford access to the global internet.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This has created what might be described as a form of \u201cnetworked coercion\u201d: the choices imposed on one group of users end up reshaping the online behavior of everyone around them as well.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">One participant explained this pressure very directly: \u201cMy brother always has a VPN, but he still uses domestic apps too, because the people he needs to stay in touch with don\u2019t have VPN access anymore. So he doesn\u2019t really have a choice.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<h4><b>3.2. Frequently Used Domestic Apps and User Criticism<\/b><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Several domestic applications and services appeared repeatedly throughout the interviews. What stands out, however, is that people generally use these platforms not out of genuine preference, but because of necessity, lack of alternatives, or pressure from work, school, and family networks. Many participants described their experience with domestic services using words such as \u201chumiliating,\u201d \u201cmiserable,\u201d \u201cforced,\u201d and \u201cbackward.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Bale<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> emerged as the most frequently used domestic messaging app among participants. Nearly everyone interviewed, including users who had previously resisted installing Iranian applications, eventually found themselves forced to use it for work communication, family groups, file sharing, and even practical daily needs such as receiving bakery subsidies and public services. At the same time, criticism of Bale was extensive: users complained about slow performance, frequent disconnections, delayed messages, file size limitations, the need to repeatedly re-download files, instability in the web version, and an overall experience that some participants described as \u201can insult to the user.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Eitaa<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and <\/span><b>Rubika<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> were used more as emergency communication tools or bare-minimum substitutes, particularly for school groups, work-related communication, news channels, and trade or professional communities. In Rubika's case, concerns went beyond poor usability and low-quality content. Participants also raised serious concerns about privacy and account control. One interviewee described how the platform would not even allow account deletion immediately after installation, saying: \u201cIt only lets me delete my account ten days after installing it.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Soroush Plus<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> appeared only in a small number of interviews and was mainly used for essential communication, including attempts to contact people abroad, rather than because users genuinely preferred it.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In the area of search engines and web browsing, services such as <\/span><b>Zarebin<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and <\/span><b>Bertina<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> were described almost entirely in negative terms. Participants complained about irrelevant search results, severe slowness, broken links, and what many perceived as a broader sense of \u201ctechnological backwardness.\u201d One user explained that even a simple search on Zarebin \u201ctakes at least 30 seconds, and out of ten search results, maybe only one link actually opens.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In the field of AI tools, participants repeatedly mentioned <\/span><b>GapGPT<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, a domestic AI chatbot promoted as Iran\u2019s alternative to ChatGPT, but almost always in a negative light. Criticisms included poor response quality, usage restrictions, forced paid subscriptions, and a significant capability gap compared to the original ChatGPT. Some users described the experience of relying on such tools as part of a growing sense of \u201ctechnological deprivation.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">By contrast, a few domestic entertainment and educational platforms were viewed somewhat more positively. Services such as <\/span><b>Aparat<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (Iran\u2019s domestic video-sharing platform similar to YouTube), <\/span><b>Filimo<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, <\/span><b>Fidibo<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, <\/span><b>Faradars<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, <\/span><b>Maktabkhooneh<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, <\/span><b>Melodify<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, and <\/span><b>Navar<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> were described as incomplete but at least tolerable substitutes for music, films, podcasts, and educational content. Even so, many participants stressed that the quality, diversity, and overall user experience of these services remain far behind global platforms.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Participants also referred to domestic workplace tools designed as substitutes for international services, including <\/span><b>Mizito<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> as an alternative to Trello and <\/span><b>Mattermost<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> as a replacement for Microsoft Teams. However, these tools were largely described as limited, slow, and lacking professional-level features.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Another important pattern that emerged was what could be called \u201cfragmented multi-platform use.\u201d Users explained that they are now forced to install and maintain several different domestic applications simultaneously just to preserve minimal everyday communication: \u201cYou have to use Bale for one person, Eitaa for another, and someone else only uses Rubika.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Overall, the interviews suggest that the issue is not merely the existence of domestic alternatives. Rather, it is the combination of poor quality, distrust, social pressure, and the feeling of coercion that has turned the use of these platforms into an exhausting and, for many users, deeply humiliating experience.<\/span><\/p>\n<h4><b>3.3. Domestic Apps Among Adolescents and the Criticism Surrounding Them<\/b><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Among adolescents, one of the most striking patterns was their initial resistance to using domestic applications, followed by a gradual and reluctant surrender shaped by frustration, embarrassment, and the pressures of Iran\u2019s remote education system.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As one teenager explained: \u201cWe resisted for a long time, we really didn\u2019t want to install the Iranian apps. But now we\u2019ve ended up downloading all of them: Shad, Eitaa, Bale\u2026 we were forced into it.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Today, a wide range of domestic educational and communication platforms has become embedded in students\u2019 daily lives. These include:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Shad<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: the official online education platform operated by Iran\u2019s Ministry of Education. Students at different grade levels are often given scheduled and time-limited access to the system. However, some schools independently choose to use additional platforms such as Skyroom. Teenagers interviewed for this report explained that holding live online classes has become extremely difficult because of poor internet quality and unstable connections. As a result, many teachers now prefer to send pre-recorded video or audio lessons rather than teach live classes.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Eitaa<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and <\/span><b>Bale<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: domestic messaging applications widely used for distributing homework, lecture notes, assignments, and classroom links.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Skyroom<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: an Iranian online meeting platform used as a domestic alternative to Zoom for virtual classes. Teenagers consistently described their speed and performance as \u201creally bad.\u201d<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Sepid<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: another virtual classroom platform, described by one teenager as \u201ca really bad knockoff of BigBlueButton.\u201d<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Rubika<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: In some cases, teachers also choose to hold classes through Rubika, depending on their personal preference or school policy.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<blockquote><p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cWe don\u2019t use Shad ourselves, our classes are mostly organized through Eitaa, but a lot of students use Shad. In Eitaa, they send us links to this Iranian platform called Skyroom. The speed is terrible. Sometimes you literally have to send a single dot just to get your messages through. Nothing works smoothly.\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2014 Arash, 17, student, Isfahan<\/span><\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote><p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0\u201cWe use this platform called Sepid, which is basically a really bad knockoff of BigBlueButton. Sometimes classes are on Shad, sometimes on Eitaa or Rubika, it just depends on whatever platform the teacher decides to use. Even access to Shad is time-restricted for high school students.\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2014 Aida, 17, student, Isfahan<\/span><\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote><p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cWe use Eitaa, Bale, and Shad. Teachers send study materials and lecture notes through Eitaa, and classes are usually held in Skyroom.\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2014 Roham, 11, student, Isfahan<\/span><\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><b>From the perspective of educational quality, several important consequences for adolescents can be identified under the current conditions:<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">First, during periods of internet disruption, formal education has become almost entirely dependent on domestic applications. In practice, this has pushed teenagers toward platforms they experience as fundamentally imposed rather than voluntarily chosen. As a result, many adolescents associate these educational platforms with frustration, coercion, and negative emotions that inevitably shape and undermine their learning experience as well.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Second, repeated reports of slow speeds, scheduled access limitations, and unstable connections suggest that the infrastructure behind platforms such as Shad lacks the capacity to reliably handle large numbers of users.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Third, the simultaneous use of multiple applications, including Shad, Eitaa, Bale, Skyroom, Sepid, and Rubika, demonstrates that educational needs are not being met through a single coherent system. Instead, students are forced to constantly move between different platforms for various aspects of their education. Participants explained that this fragmentation has not only made learning more complicated and exhausting, but has also created unequal educational experiences depending on students\u2019 schools, teachers, or geographic location.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h4><b>3.4. Those Who Have Given Up on the Global Internet<\/b><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A clear pattern emerged in the interviews regarding the groups most likely to abandon access to the global internet altogether. These groups mainly include:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Older generations and parents<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Lower-income individuals and those whose jobs do not critically depend on internet access<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Users who were already primarily reliant on domestic platforms such as Filimo, Faradars, and Maktabkhooneh<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">People with lower levels of digital literacy or less familiarity with global online platforms and tools<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<blockquote><p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cPeople from my parents\u2019 generation mostly just gave up on the global internet altogether. For them, it wasn\u2019t important enough to start paying for VPNs, so most never even tried.\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2014 Milad, 35, married, mechanical engineer working remotely with an Australian company, Mashhad<\/span><\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote><p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cUsually, the people who gave up on the global internet were those who had already been relying mostly on domestic services before all this happened. They were already watching films on Filimo or using platforms like Faradars and Maktabkhooneh for educational content.\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2014 Ehsan, 31, single, environmental expert and freelancer, Zanjan<\/span><\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<h4><b>3.5. The Emotional Experience of Using Domestic Apps<\/b><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">One of the most striking shared patterns in this section was the emotionally charged language participants used to describe their experience with domestic applications. Users repeatedly relied on words associated with humiliation, degradation, and emotional exhaustion, such as \u201chumiliation,\u201d \u201cinsult,\u201d \u201cshame,\u201d \u201cfeeling degraded,\u201d \u201closs of dignity,\u201d \u201cviolation,\u201d \u201cscam,\u201d \u201chatred,\u201d \u201cdisgust,\u201d \u201cconstant frustration,\u201d and \u201cfeeling left behind.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The intensity of this language suggests that, for many users, the issue is no longer merely about technical limitations or poor service quality. Instead, the forced migration toward domestic platforms has become intertwined with deeper feelings of coercion, exclusion, technological deprivation, and loss of personal autonomy.<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cExcept for my brother, who kept saying \u2018work just needs to get done no matter where,\u2019 almost everyone around me felt ashamed and deeply uncomfortable about having to use these domestic apps.\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2014 Mahsa, 39, freelancer and Instagram content creator, Shiraz<\/span><\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote><p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cThere was a period when VPNs barely worked, so I had to use Iranian AI tools instead, and honestly it made me furious. I felt like smashing my computer. Using an app like Bale genuinely feels insulting to the user.\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2014 Maryam, 28, married, office employee, Tehran<\/span><\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote><p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cI basically surrendered to the humiliation of using Bale. Sometimes the web version on my phone just keeps showing \u2018Connecting\u2026\u2019 for hours, and it drives me insane. I literally feel like smashing my head against the wall.\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2014 Mehnaz, 30, married, sales manager in the clothing industry, Tehran<\/span><\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote><p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cWe used them\u2026 but the whole experience felt like being scammed, like a violation.\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2014 Mohsen, 45, single, programmer and freelancer, Tehran<\/span><\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote><p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cIt gives me this overwhelming feeling of backwardness, humiliation, and being constantly put down. Every time I open Bale, I feel like I\u2019m being insulted.\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2014 Parvaneh, 43, married, English teacher, Tehran<\/span><\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Among adolescents, these emotional reactions often appear even more intense than those expressed by adults. Teenagers described installing and using domestic applications as a form of \u201cpersonal defeat,\u201d \u201cforced submission,\u201d \u201chumiliation,\u201d or a \u201cworthless migration.\u201d To express their feelings, many relied on blunt and highly emotional language, repeatedly describing domestic platforms as \u201cgarbage,\u201d \u201cbullshit,\u201d or \u201ccomplete nonsense.\u201d<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<blockquote><p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cWe resisted for a long time, we really didn\u2019t want to install the Iranian apps. But now we\u2019ve ended up downloading all of them: Shad, Eitaa, Bale\u2026 we were forced into it.\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2014 Aida, 17, student, Isfahan<\/span><\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote><p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cRubika and apps like that are complete garbage. On iPhones, they\u2019re especially awful, maybe they work a little better on Android, I don\u2019t know. But we don\u2019t really have a choice. You can\u2019t just rely on SMS forever.\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2014 Aida, 17, student, Isfahan<\/span><\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote><p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0\u201cVoice messages won\u2019t send, other people\u2019s voice notes won\u2019t open, and photos fail to upload. Sometimes a single message takes 10 or 15 minutes to go through, and you just sit there yelling at your phone like, \u2018Come on already, damn it.\u2019 It\u2019s incredibly frustrating.\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2014 Roshanak, 16, student, Tehran<\/span><\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Another powerful emotional pattern that emerged among adolescents \u2014 often even more intensely than among adults \u2014 was a persistent feeling of insecurity and the belief that they were being directly monitored while using domestic applications. One teenager, in a tone that mixed humor with genuine fear, imagined the president himself watching their conversations. Another described picturing \u201csome man in a suit reading everything we say.\u201d<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<blockquote><p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0\u201cI feel completely unsafe using these apps. Honestly, I joke that President Pezeshkian is personally reading all my messages and is going to show up at my door with a gun tomorrow. I can\u2019t even talk normally because the whole thing feels so insecure.\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2014 Roshanak, 16, student, Tehran<\/span><\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote><p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cIt always feels like there\u2019s some guy in a suit reading everything we say. We talk in code now. We try to meet in person more often instead. We can\u2019t even send photos because we feel like someone\u2019s watching them.\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2014 Aida, 17, student, Isfahan<\/span><\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The result of this constant feeling of being watched is a form of everyday self-censorship that many teenagers have begun to internalize almost automatically: speaking in coded language, avoiding sending photos, and relying more heavily on in-person meetings with friends instead of online communication.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">From the perspective of adolescents\u2019 psychological and social development, this pattern carries deeply troubling implications. An entire generation appears to be learning that it must hide or disguise its ordinary language and everyday forms of expression. More broadly, these interviews raise concerns that self-censorship in online communication may become normalized and deeply embedded within this generation\u2019s social behavior.<\/span><\/p>\n<h4><b>Section Four: Starlink Opportunity or Threat?<\/b><\/h4>\n<h4><b>4.1. The Tension Between Hope and Fear<\/b><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Participants\u2019 views on Starlink reveal one of the clearest examples of the tension between hope for the future and fear embedded in everyday life under Iran\u2019s internet restrictions.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">At an idealized level, almost all interviewees described Starlink as a potential \u201csolution\u201d or a rare \u201copportunity\u201d for reconnecting to the global internet. Yet the moment the conversation shifted from abstract hope to the reality of actually purchasing or using Starlink equipment, participants quickly began speaking in the language of risk and fear: \u201ccriminal charges,\u201d \u201cbeing prosecuted,\u201d \u201cexecution,\u201d \u201csmuggling,\u201d \u201cbeing reported by neighbors,\u201d \u201cequipment confiscation,\u201d \u201chigh costs,\u201d and \u201cdistrust of sellers.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0\u201cStarlink does feel like a real solution, but there are two major obstacles. First, simply having it is considered a crime. And second, the cost of buying the equipment, along with the relatively high monthly subscription fees, becomes even more unaffordable every time the dollar exchange rate rises.\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2014 Milad, 35, married, mechanical engineer working remotely with an Australian company, Mashhad<\/span><\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote><p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cPeople are terrified of being accused of spying, arrested, or even executed, and having their equipment confiscated. The people who actually own Starlink devices usually don\u2019t tell anyone. During the war, we kept hearing stories about neighbors reporting each other, and that fear is very real.\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2014 Mohsen, 45, single, programmer and freelancer, Tehran<\/span><\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote><p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cThe atmosphere has become so frightening that people who own Starlink don\u2019t even tell their own siblings or parents about it.\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2014 Mohsen, 45, single, programmer and freelancer, Tehran<\/span><\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote><p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cOver the past year, one of our colleagues was actually prosecuted and harassed because they had a Starlink device.\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2014 Atena, 27, single, startup employee, Kashan<\/span><\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A clear consensus emerged among participants regarding the types of people most likely to accept the risks associated with using Starlink:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Individuals whose businesses or livelihoods depend directly on internet access<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Technically skilled or specialized users who are familiar with methods for concealing Starlink equipment and usage<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Residents of standalone houses or single-family homes, as opposed to large apartment complexes, where hiding equipment is considered easier and less risky<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h4><b>4.2. Collective Purchasing: Caught Between Affordability and Distrust<\/b><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The idea of collectively purchasing and sharing Starlink access, with neighbors, relatives, or friends, appeared repeatedly in the interviews as a potentially practical and affordable solution. For many participants, it represents one of the few ways ordinary people could realistically manage the high cost of Starlink equipment and subscriptions.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In practice, however, this idea faces two major obstacles: fear of exposure and deep interpersonal distrust.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">One participant described this tension clearly: \u201cSharing a Starlink connection with a group is actually much more affordable compared to regular internet access. But because it\u2019s considered illegal, everyone is scared. People keep saying that you would have to completely trust everyone involved in the arrangement.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">At the same time, several participants believed that if the current situation continues, collective Starlink purchasing arrangements may gradually become more common, much like the early years of satellite television in Iran, when shared satellite dishes eventually became widespread despite legal restrictions and social fears.<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cIf Starlink eventually becomes something people can buy openly,\u00a0 the way VPNs used to be before all of this, then it\u2019ll probably spread the same way VPNs did.\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2014 Maryam, 28, married, office employee, Tehran<\/span><\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote><p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cShared Starlink access will definitely become a real option over the coming months and eventually turn into something normal rather than a luxury. The main thing is that people need to stop being so afraid.\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2014 Sima, 40, married, homemaker, Tehran<\/span><\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote><p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cIf the internet shutdowns continue and things get even worse, people will eventually turn to Starlink almost as an act of defiance against the government. It could become something widespread, like satellite dishes eventually did.\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0\u2014 Mahsa, 39, freelancer and Instagram content creator, Shiraz<\/span><\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<h4><b>4.3. Luxury Item or Essential Necessity?<\/b><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Participants\u2019 views on the necessity of Starlink generally fell into two recurring patterns:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Those who still viewed Starlink as a luxury item, largely because they continued to hope that internet conditions in Iran would eventually return to their previous state.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Those who increasingly saw Starlink as moving from a luxury toward a necessity, especially for people whose livelihoods and income depend directly on reliable access to the global internet.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">One important theme connected the two perspectives: the expectation that the situation might eventually improve remains a main reason many people postpone purchasing Starlink equipment. Participants repeatedly suggested that the moment this hope disappears, the moment people no longer believe the internet will \u201cgo back to normal,\u201d demand for Starlink is likely to rise rapidly.<\/span><\/p>\n<h4><b>Section Five: Adaptation, the Future, and the Shadow of Tiered Internet<\/b><\/h4>\n<h4><b>5.1. Adaptation to the Current Situation or Continued Resistance?<\/b><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Participants\u2019 responses regarding whether people are adapting to the current internet conditions or still searching for alternatives suggest that, in their view, adaptation and resignation have become the dominant social response.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The overwhelming majority of interviewees believed that most people are gradually surrendering to the situation rather than actively resisting it:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cMost people have surrendered.\u201d \u2014 Interview 6<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cThe majority have adapted, because refusing to adapt comes with consequences and costs.\u201d \u2014 Interview 5<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cMost people are gradually giving in.\u201d \u2014 Interview 8<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cHonestly, I think most people have adapted.\u201d \u2014 Interview 4<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<blockquote><p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cPeople eventually get used to it. It\u2019s almost like Telegram and Instagram never existed in the first place. Little by little, they just settle for apps like Bale and Eitaa instead.\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2014 Reza, 52, single, writer, Karaj<\/span><\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote><p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0\u201cWe never really got to fully experience or enjoy what a truly free internet could be. For years, access has constantly come and gone, so in a strange way we\u2019ve learned to adapt very quickly to losing it again.\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2014 Reza, 52, single, writer, Karaj<\/span><\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">An important point, however, is that participants did not describe this adaptation as a genuine acceptance of the situation or a voluntary choice. Rather, they framed it as the result of exhaustion, hopelessness, and emotional burnout.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Interviewees associated the long-term consequences of internet shutdowns and restrictions with several recurring themes:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Widespread depression and psychological exhaustion across society<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Growing hopelessness, social isolation, and a sense of collective emotional numbness<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Deepening class divisions and further impoverishment of ordinary people<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Rising public anger and the possibility of future unrest, uprisings, or even another revolution<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Increasing waves of migration, particularly among younger and professionally skilled populations<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A growing risk of suicide and severe mental health crises, especially if the current conditions become normalized and permanent<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<blockquote><p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cThe next uprising, the next revolution, could happen over the internet itself. Even homemakers whose only form of entertainment and connection to the outside world was through their phones could end up at the forefront of it.\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0\u2014 Mohammad, 33, single, urban planning engineer working in the steel market, Urmia<\/span><\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote><p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cIf things continue like this in the long run, we\u2019re going to see a huge wave of depression, suicide, and another massive wave of migration.\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2014 Atena, 27, single, startup employee, Kashan<\/span><\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">At the same time, some participants pointed to another group, primarily younger users, technically skilled individuals, and people whose livelihoods depend directly on internet access\u00a0 who are still actively searching for ways to resist or bypass the current conditions.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>As several interviewees explained:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cEspecially now that this situation has lasted so long, a lot of people are actively looking for more affordable VPN options.\u201d \u2014 Interview 1<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cNinety percent of the people around me still haven\u2019t adapted or surrendered.\u201d \u2014 Interview 15<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Migration also appeared as a constant shadow throughout nearly all the interviews, though in different forms and with varying degrees of urgency. Almost nobody described migration as being \u201conly about the internet.\u201d Yet at the same time, nearly everyone portrayed internet restrictions as one of the major catalysts or the final push, behind the desire to leave. For many participants, the possibility of migration represented a way of refusing to fully adapt to the current situation and the future they believe it implies.<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cA huge number of people in the tech and computer industry have already emigrated over the years because of the internet situation. And if this continues, many more will leave, too. I have no doubt about it.\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2014 Mohsen, 45, single, programmer and freelancer, Tehran<\/span><\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote><p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cI see it everywhere, almost everyone around me is thinking about migration now. Not only because of the internet, of course, but the internet restrictions are definitely part of the bigger picture.\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2014 Mahsa, 39, freelancer and Instagram content creator, Shiraz<\/span><\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote><p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cI know a psychologist who was planning to move to Turkey simply so they could continue communicating with their patients properly.\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2014 Reza, 52, single, writer, Karaj<\/span><\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<h4><b>5.2. Reactions to the Prospect of Tiered Internet<\/b><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When participants were asked, \u201cWhat would you do if the internet permanently became tiered?\u201d, two major patterns emerged.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The first was a form of moral or ethical resistance. Some participants said they would refuse to participate in a tiered internet system under any circumstances because they viewed it as a form of privilege, discrimination, and unequal access. Many explicitly described the tiered internet as a form of \u201crent-seeking\u201d or unfair advantage that they did not want to legitimize by participating in it.<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cUsing tiered internet feels like participating in a form of privilege and unequal access, and I would never accept that, even if I personally could get access to it. Even if I were allowed in, it would feel meaningless to me if the rest of society were excluded. Right now, my decision is not to surrender to it, even if that eventually means emigrating.\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2014 Mahsa, 39, freelancer and Instagram content creator, Shiraz<\/span><\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote><p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0\u201cIf the internet permanently becomes tiered, I\u2019ll leave Iran. Adapting to something like that has no meaning for me. Honestly, I\u2019ll spend the rest of my life cursing them for it.\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2014 Sina, 42, married, trader, Tehran<\/span><\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote><p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cI\u2019m extremely angry, and I\u2019m not willing to accept a situation like this. Right now I\u2019m trying to raise awareness among people I think might still listen and understand\u2026 but if things continue in this direction, migration will definitely become part of my plans.\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2014 Mehnaz, 30, married, sales manager in the clothing industry, Tehran<\/span><\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<h4><b>Resigned Acceptance Under Pressure<\/b><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The second pattern consisted of participants who were morally opposed to tiered internet but nevertheless believed that, in the absence of any realistic alternative, they might eventually be forced to accept it in order to survive, particularly to maintain their jobs and sources of income.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For this group, accepting tiered internet was not framed as agreement or approval, but as a reluctant act of survival shaped by economic pressure, exhaustion, and the lack of viable options.<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0\u201cMaybe if the pressure becomes unbearable, I\u2019d eventually get access to tiered internet, but only temporarily, just to survive the current situation.\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0\u2014 Sara, 26, single, biologist and laboratory specialist, Karaj<\/span><\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote><p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cMy first thought would be migration. But if that\u2019s not possible, then eventually I\u2019d surrender\u2026 because without internet access, I\u2019m basically excluded from the job market. At some point, I\u2019d be forced to accept it.\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2014 Ehsan, 31, single, environmental expert and freelancer, Zanjan<\/span><\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote><p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0\u201cIt\u2019s not really a matter of choice anymore whether I want to accept it or not. I\u2019d probably try to somehow get myself into whatever social category still has internet access. I\u2019ve been thinking about migration for 30 years and never managed to make it happen\u2026 but I also can\u2019t work without the internet. So in the end, out of sheer necessity, I\u2019d probably accept tiered internet.\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2014 Mohsen, 45, single, programmer and freelancer, Tehran<\/span><\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><b>Silence and Emotional Suspension: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A smaller group of participants responded to the question with hesitation or avoidance altogether. Rather than giving a clear answer, they said things such as, \u201cI don\u2019t want to think about it,\u201d or \u201cI\u2019ll deal with it if that day actually comes.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This reluctance to answer is itself revealing. It reflects a level of psychological pressure so heavy that some participants seemed unwilling even to fully confront the possibility that the future of the internet in Iran could permanently become a system of tiered and unequal access.<\/span><\/p>\n<h4><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0<\/span><b>Outlook and Conclusion<\/b><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If the current trajectory of internet restrictions in Iran, including prolonged shutdowns of the global internet and the expansion of tiered internet access, continues, this report, based on the insights drawn from these interviews, points to three likely consequences:<\/span><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The emergence of a permanent class-based digital divide between higher-income groups, who can still afford costly forms of internet access, and lower-income populations who are increasingly excluded from the global internet.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A new wave of migration among specialists, skilled workers, and younger generations.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Growing public dissatisfaction that could itself evolve into a broader force for social mobilization and unrest \u2014 as some interviewees explicitly predicted: \u201cThe next revolution will happen over the internet itself.\u201d<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Alongside these broader trends, the interviews with adolescents suggest that the consequences of this situation are already spreading to younger generations as well. Participants\u2019 accounts point toward the formation of a long-term educational divide caused by disrupted access to global resources such as Google, YouTube, and AI tools, as well as the normalization of self-censorship and insecurity in everyday communication. Over time, these patterns may profoundly shape how this generation learns, expresses itself, and interacts socially.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Overall, this report presents a multilayered portrait of a social crisis whose dimensions extend far beyond a purely technical issue. What is publicly described as an \u201cinternet shutdown\u201d is, in practice, the lived experience of losing access to major parts of modern life itself: work, education, entertainment, communication with loved ones, professional development, and the fundamental right to access information.<\/span><\/p>\n<h4><b>Recommendations for Human Rights and Digital Rights Organizations<\/b><\/h4>\n<h4><b>1. Expand Access to Secure and Affordable Circumvention Tools (Including VPNs)<\/b><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Participants repeatedly described the crushing financial burden of purchasing VPN services, in some cases reaching 14 million tomans per month (approximately USD 82.35, calculated at an exchange rate of 170,000 tomans per US dollar) or similarly high monthly costs alongside constant service disruptions and unreliable connections. International organizations should therefore support the development, maintenance, and large-scale distribution of secure, accessible, and affordable circumvention tools for Iranian users in order to reduce the inequalities created by Iran\u2019s growing class-based digital divide.<\/span><\/p>\n<h4><b>2. Safely Support Alternative Internet Access Solutions (Including Starlink)<\/b><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The interviews suggest that many users increasingly view satellite internet services such as Starlink as one of the few viable long-term alternatives for accessing the global internet. However, the main barriers to widespread adoption are not only the extremely high costs of equipment and monthly subscriptions, but also intense fears of surveillance, arrest, prosecution, and confiscation of devices.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Digital rights organizations should therefore prioritize both advocacy for more affordable access to such technologies and the development of practical safety guidance, digital security training, and risk-mitigation protocols to help users reduce exposure to surveillance and physical targeting.<\/span><\/p>\n<h4><b>3. Document and Launch International Advocacy Against Digital Apartheid and Tiered Internet<\/b><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Interviewees consistently described tiered internet access as a form of discrimination, privilege, and structural injustice. Many viewed it as a system of unequal access to information that deepens existing social and economic inequalities.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Human rights organizations should document these policies as a systematic violation of the right to free access to information and raise the issue more aggressively within international human rights mechanisms, legal forums, and civil society advocacy campaigns. Several participants explicitly framed tiered internet as a form of \u201cdigital apartheid,\u201d reflecting the perception that access to the global internet is increasingly becoming a privilege reserved for selected social groups.<\/span><\/p>\n<h4><b>4. Raise Awareness About Privacy and Security Risks in Domestic Platforms<\/b><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Participants expressed deep concerns about surveillance, privacy violations, insecurity, and the coercive nature of being forced onto domestic applications. Many users described feeling constantly monitored while using these platforms.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Civil society organizations and digital rights groups should conduct and publish independent technical investigations into the privacy and security vulnerabilities of domestic platforms while also expanding access to practical digital safety education for users inside Iran. This includes training in surveillance awareness, privacy protection, secure communication practices, and risk-reduction strategies under highly monitored online conditions.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h4><b>Appendix: Full List of Interview Participants<\/b><\/h4>\n<p>Below is the demographic information for each interview participant. To protect participants\u2019 identities and preserve anonymity, all names used in this report are pseudonyms.These interviews were conducted between April 14 and April 25, 2026.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"113\" data-end=\"163\">\n<blockquote><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">1- Maryam, 28, married, office employee, Tehran<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">2- Milad, 35, married, mechanical engineer and remote employee working with an Australian company, Mashhad<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">3- Reza, 52, single, writer, Karaj<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">4- Sima, 40, married, homemaker, Tehran<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">5- Mohammad, 33, single, urban planning engineer and active in the steel market, Urmia<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">6- Ehsan, 31, single, environmental expert and freelancer, Zanjan<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">7- Mehnaz, 30, married, sales manager in the clothing industry, Tehran<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">8- Ali, 40, single, embassy employee, Tehran<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">9- Sara, 26, single, biologist and laboratory specialist, Karaj<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">10- Mohsen, 45, single, programmer and freelancer, Tehran<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">11- Arezoo, 23, single, university student, Karaj<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">12- Sina, 42, married, trader, Tehran<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">13- Vida, 38, single, architect and office employee, Tehran<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">14- Atena, 27, married, startup employee, Kashan<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">15- Parvaneh, 43, married, English teacher, Tehran<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">16- Mahsa, 39, married, freelancer and Instagram content creator, Shiraz<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">17- Arash, 17, student, Isfahan<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">18- Roshanak, 16, student, Tehran<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">19- Roham, 11, student, Isfahan<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">20- Aida, 17, vocational high school student (architecture major), Isfahan<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>This report is based on an analysis of 20 in-depth, semi-structured interviews conducted with 16 adults and 4 adolescents from different cities across Iran. The participants represent a diverse range of professions and social backgrounds, from students and homemakers to programmers, traders, and freelancers. Despite differences in age and occupation, all of them share a<a class=\"more-link\" href=\"https:\/\/filter.watch\/english\/2026\/05\/21\/investigative-report-may-2026-exploring-the-lived-experience-of-iranian-users-during-internet-blackouts\/\">Continue reading <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">\"The Right to Internet: From Individual Claims to a Social Crisis ; Exploring the Lived Experience of Iranian Users During Internet Blackouts\"<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":44,"featured_media":5935,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[353,306,327,281,297,257],"class_list":["post-5934","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-investigations","tag-digital-blackout-in-iran","tag-internet-censorship-in-iran","tag-internet-shutdown-in-iran","tag-starlink","tag-tiered-internet","tag-vpn-usage-in-iran","entry"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t<!-- All in One SEO Pro 4.9.8 - aioseo.com -->\n\t<meta name=\"description\" content=\"This report is based on an analysis of 20 in-depth, semi-structured interviews conducted with 16 adults and 4 adolescents from different cities across Iran. 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Despite differences in age and occupation, all of them share a","twitter:creator":"@filterbaan","twitter:image":"https:\/\/filter.watch\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/05\/Website-MAIN-Banner-3-scaled.png","twitter:label1":"Written by","twitter:data1":"Narges Keshavarznia","twitter:label2":"Est. reading time","twitter:data2":"46 minutes"},"aioseo_meta_data":{"post_id":"5934","title":null,"description":null,"keywords":null,"keyphrases":{"focus":{"keyphrase":"","score":0,"analysis":{"keyphraseInTitle":{"score":0,"maxScore":9,"error":1}}},"additional":[]},"primary_term":null,"canonical_url":null,"og_title":null,"og_description":null,"og_object_type":"default","og_image_type":"default","og_image_url":null,"og_image_width":null,"og_image_height":null,"og_image_custom_url":null,"og_image_custom_fields":null,"og_video":"","og_custom_url":null,"og_article_section":null,"og_article_tags":null,"twitter_use_og":true,"twitter_card":"default","twitter_image_type":"default","twitter_image_url":null,"twitter_image_custom_url":null,"twitter_image_custom_fields":null,"twitter_title":null,"twitter_description":null,"schema":{"blockGraphs":[],"customGraphs":[],"default":{"data":{"Article":[],"Course":[],"Dataset":[],"FAQPage":[],"Movie":[],"Person":[],"Product":[],"ProductReview":[],"Car":[],"Recipe":[],"Service":[],"SoftwareApplication":[],"WebPage":[]},"graphName":"BlogPosting","isEnabled":true},"graphs":[]},"schema_type":"default","schema_type_options":null,"pillar_content":false,"robots_default":true,"robots_noindex":false,"robots_noarchive":false,"robots_nosnippet":false,"robots_nofollow":false,"robots_noimageindex":false,"robots_noodp":false,"robots_notranslate":false,"robots_max_snippet":"-1","robots_max_videopreview":"-1","robots_max_imagepreview":"large","priority":null,"frequency":"default","local_seo":null,"seo_analyzer_scan_date":null,"breadcrumb_settings":null,"limit_modified_date":false,"reviewed_by":"0","open_ai":null,"ai":{"faqs":[],"keyPoints":[],"schemas":[],"titles":[],"descriptions":[],"socialPosts":{"email":[],"linkedin":[],"twitter":[],"facebook":[],"instagram":[]}},"created":"2026-05-21 09:18:33","updated":"2026-05-21 17:52:36"},"aioseo_breadcrumb":"<div class=\"aioseo-breadcrumbs\"><span class=\"aioseo-breadcrumb\">\n\t<a href=\"https:\/\/filter.watch\/english\" title=\"Home\">Home<\/a>\n<\/span><span class=\"aioseo-breadcrumb-separator\">\u00bb<\/span><span class=\"aioseo-breadcrumb\">\n\t<a href=\"https:\/\/filter.watch\/english\/category\/investigations\/\" title=\"Investigations\">Investigations<\/a>\n<\/span><span class=\"aioseo-breadcrumb-separator\">\u00bb<\/span><span class=\"aioseo-breadcrumb\">\n\tThe Right to Internet: From Individual Claims to a Social Crisis ; Exploring the Lived Experience of Iranian Users During Internet Blackouts\n<\/span><\/div>","aioseo_breadcrumb_json":[{"label":"Home","link":"https:\/\/filter.watch\/english"},{"label":"Investigations","link":"https:\/\/filter.watch\/english\/category\/investigations\/"},{"label":"The Right to Internet: From Individual Claims to a Social Crisis ; Exploring the Lived Experience of Iranian Users During Internet Blackouts","link":"https:\/\/filter.watch\/english\/2026\/05\/21\/investigative-report-may-2026-exploring-the-lived-experience-of-iranian-users-during-internet-blackouts\/"}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/filter.watch\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5934","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/filter.watch\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/filter.watch\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filter.watch\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/44"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filter.watch\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5934"}],"version-history":[{"count":16,"href":"https:\/\/filter.watch\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5934\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5952,"href":"https:\/\/filter.watch\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5934\/revisions\/5952"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filter.watch\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5935"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/filter.watch\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5934"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filter.watch\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5934"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filter.watch\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5934"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}