Objective:This study examines the relationship between the COVID-19 pandemic and Iran's social media industry in the domain of employment, with particular emphasis on job creation, the economic resilience of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), and the dual opportunities and challenges that emerged during the crisis.
Method: A mixed-methods design was employed. Qualitatively, in-depth interviews with 30 SME practitioners were analyzed using MAXQDA 2024. Quantitatively, a researcher-developed questionnaire was administered to 200 respondents (employees of the Islamic Culture and Communication Organization and social media practitioners); 180 complete responses (90% response rate) were analyzed using Pearson correlation and simple linear regression in SPSS 24. Data were collected during the peak pandemic period (2020–2021).
Results: Statistically significant positive relationships were found between the pandemic and all six dimensions of the social media industry. The strongest effects were observed for increased online interactions (R² = 0.314) and online visual arts display (R² = 0.289); the weakest effect was observed for online counseling services (R² = 0.141). The mean score for "creation of online jobs" was the highest among the dimensions. Qualitative findings confirmed the rapid pivot of small businesses toward online sales and services, alongside mental health strain and constraints related to sanctions and platform access.
Conclusions: Although the pandemic generated new digital employment opportunities and accelerated business digitization, it also posed challenges to mental health and resilience. The intelligent use of domestic platforms (Bale, Soroush, iGap) in conjunction with international platforms can mitigate harms and support sustainable digital employment. Policy priority should be given to supporting digital SMEs, expanding infrastructure, and strengthening media literacy.
The findings further suggest that policy responses should distinguish between dimensions that expanded rapidly and those constrained by institutional trust, professional standards, and unequal access. The results are associational and should not be interpreted as evidence that the pandemic alone caused every observed change. Nevertheless, the integration of interview evidence and survey results provides a useful basis for targeted support for digital work.