This paper investigates the structure of networked publics and their sharing practices in Persian Twitter during a period surrounding Iran’s 2017 presidential election. Building on networked gatekeeping and framing theories, we used a mixed methodological approach to analyze a dataset of 2,596,284 Persian tweets. Results revealed that Twitter provided a space for Iranians to discuss public topics. However, this space is not necessarily used by voiceless and marginalized groups; and the uses are not limited to discussing controversial issues. The growing body of conservative crowdsourced elites emerged to defend the regime’s ideology. Moreover, the dominant networked frames were shaped around normal and routine subjects in an election time. Thus, Twitter was not a platform for only seeking liberal demands. It was to some extent used to serve the regime’s political interests. Furthermore, while many ordinary users rose to prominence, mainstream media continued to act as powerful players. This study contributes to the existing literature into networked practices, digital democracy, and citizen journalism; particularly in restrictive contexts.

本文调查了伊朗 2017 年总统大选期间网络公众的结构及其在波斯 Twitter 上的分享做法。基于网络守门和框架理论，我们使用混合方法论来分析包含 2,596,284 条波斯推文的数据集。结果显示，Twitter 为伊朗人提供了一个讨论公共话题的空间。然而，这个空间不一定被无声和边缘化的群体使用；并且用途不仅限于讨论有争议的问题。越来越多的保守派众包精英出现来捍卫政权的意识形态。此外，在选举期间，主要的网络框架是围绕正常和常规主题形成的。因此，Twitter 不是一个只寻求自由需求的平台。它在某种程度上被用来为政权的政治利益服务。此外，在许多普通用户崛起的同时，主流媒体继续扮演着强大的角色。这项研究有助于将现有文献纳入网络实践、数字民主和公民新闻；特别是在限制性的情况下。