“It’s amazing. It’s like watching the Berlin Wall come down,” said Nika Khanjani, 34, a filmmaker who lives in Montreal. “I really feel like something’s changing.”

Like many, she said she can hardly stand not to be in Iran now. “I feel sorry for myself that I’m alone here, and I realize that there is this incredibly strong desire to feel connected, and that is my answer to myself as to why I’m on the computer all the time,” she said. “I just need to be around people who care about this.”