Virtual elite in Dubai

Once a barren land on the edge of the desert, Dubai has now become a magnet for social media stars, dubbed ‘Instagram land’.
Standing on the airport’s blue runway at Palm Jumeirah, an artificial island in Dubai, Busra Duran wore a colorful pink dress, glasses, and matching shoes. She is trying to stand on tiptoe, posing with the background of a red helicopter and tall buildings.

Duran’s husband, Gökhan Gündüz, hastily recorded a “virtual living” moment for his wife. They only have 12 minutes to visit this helipad for free, so everything has to be rushed. The main purpose of the trip to Dubai is to upgrade Duran’s 608,000 followers personal page. So they have to have as many good looks as possible. Over the past few days, the couple has posted photos of going golfing, dining in a restaurant, relaxing at a hotel… The Dubai lifestyle flooded on personal page helps Duran gain more followers and dream of one day. Experience the true luxury life. Dubai has become a “paradise” for social media stars. Photo: Instagram. “She’s showing off her lifestyle in Dubai, to appeal to people. Not only Busra, Dubai is also benefiting from that,” Gündüz told The Guardian . Once a small barren land on the edge of the desert, Dubai has become a magnet for social media stars, dubbed “Instagram land” in recent years. With the rise of hotels and luxury brands eager to use social media as cheap advertising, Dubai has become the birthplace of the “elite” in the cyberspace, a contingent of influencers. Constantly increasing the number of followers. “How many followers does she have?” At the Falcon Helicopter Tours office, owner Captain Husam Gamal called an employee over to check Duran’s registration information. “Who is she? How many followers does she have on Instagram and what will she post?”, he asked. “In this world, social media, followers are everything,” Gamal emphasized to employees. The symbiotic relationship between Dubai’s influencers and local businesses is evident. A trip to Dubai is a must-have in an Influencer’s profile. Photo: Instagram. Influencers need visuals, while companies like Gamal’s see influencers as a necessary part of their advertising strategy. However, the company can be in trouble if it chooses the wrong people. They must ensure that the things shared by the Influencers will bring a positive image to the company in particular and the city in general. According to the The Guardian , in Dubai, nothing is natural or random. Everything is consciously built to ensure “Instagram aesthetics”. From smooth high-rises to undulating oases, cafes and fast food restaurants are all created to drive online consumption. Dubai’s mistake The rise of the Influencer generation has brought Dubai many benefits: stimulating tourism, economic growth and creating the first successful “post-oil economy” in the Middle East. However, behind that flashy shell, Dubai is now stuffy and there is not much room left. High-rise buildings obscure popular residential areas, but they are only used as backgrounds in virtual live photos online. Jim Krane, author of the book OLD ity Of Gold: Dubai And The Dream Of Capitalism , said: “Branding business is a high-risk strategy, as this year’s failure of Dubai to Covid-19 proves it. It’s bad luck to be a party spot in the middle of a global pandemic.” . Built on the illusion of unlimited passion, Dubai transforms itself into a “parallel universe” as other countries grapple with the pandemic. The image of playing and partying despite Covid-19 helped this place get more visitors, but soon had to pay the price because of their laxity and subjectivity. Dubai made the mistake of “dropping the door” for tourism during the epidemic season. Photo: Wallpapers. Since last July, Dubai has allowed visitors from all over the world to enter, as long as they have tested negative for Covid-19. European tourists trying to escape the cold winter and strict lockdowns against Covid-19 at the end of last year flocked to the beautiful Middle Eastern city. However, just a few months later, the infection rate here quadrupled. At that time, bars and clubs remained open late to attract tourists. The UAE is determined to maintain its tourism-based economy despite criticism from the European media. After detecting cases linked to travelers returning from the UAE, Denmark suspended flights to Dubai while Germany imposed stricter entry checks. From the end of January 2021, the UK has re-imposed a complete ban on flying with Dubai and removed the city’s name from the list of “tourist corridors”. According to the CNBC This ban could cost Dubai’s hotels and resorts about $47 million per month.