Lived experience of Iranian elite female athletes on Instagram: opportunities and challenges

The present research aimed to analyze the lived experience of Iranian female national athletes on Instagram, focusing on the opportunities and challenges surrounding them. This qualitative research included 13 female athletes from various Iranian elite sports such as football, swimming, karate and the like. A thematic analysis was used to analyze the data. The findings indicate six key challenges faced by Iranian elite female athletes on Instagram, which are categorized as structural challenges (cultural, religious, gender, and legal) and individual challenges (content production, and psychological). The nine identified opportunities also include process and operational opportunities (self-presentation, introducing and displaying sports, information dis­semination, interaction, educational and learning, entertainment) and outcome and strategic opportunities (economic opportunity, social opportunity, and personal opp­ortunity). This study provides a comprehensive overview of the opportunities and challenges faced by female athletes in the non-democratic society, when engaging on social media. It also contributes to the understanding of this emerging field and lays a foundation for future research.