Effects of COVID-19 Pandemic on YouTube Dynamics in Iran: A Case Study of Iranian YouTube Content Creators

This paper examines the significant impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on social media and digital evolution in Iran, with a specific focus on YouTube and its role in the Iranian content creator community. Drawing from communication and media theories such as "Uses and Gratifications," "Authoritarian Media Theory," and "Media Dependency Theory," this study aims to investigate the motivating factors behind Iranian YouTube community dynamics amidst Iran’s media censorship and the influence of Iranian authorities on the growth of User Generated Content (UGC) during the COVID-19 pandemic. By using a content analysis methodology, this research reviews three of Iran's most popular YouTube channels, including Puria Putak (Channel: @Putak), Farshad Dehghani (Channel: @Farshadsilent), and Kimia Ravangar (Channel @Miaplays). The analysis includes various metrics for social media Analytics Research, such as User Motivations For Engagement, the impacts of Engagement Metrics (views, likes, and comments) on user perceptions, and the formation of Groups and Communities. The paper concludes that the COVID-19 era resulted in a notable increase in YouTube followers in Iran across all top-tier channels, impacted the content production agenda of top-tier Iranian YouTubers postlockdowns, boosted the growth of these channels beyond their PRE-COVID-19 levels in Iran, and introduced new challenges for smaller Iranian YouTubers to adapt their channels to the new situation, especially those with fewer resources and budget.