Some children want to grow up to be astronauts or firemen, and others want to be doctors. But in the Middle East, like in the rest of the world, some actually grow up to be social media “influencers.” Even in the Middle East, it is a real job, it is licensed, and people make good money doing it.
In the past, young Arabs who wanted to go into the media world would take lowly positions with a radio or television station and advance through the system. They would perfect their broadcast Arabic, pay attention to style and accent, and learn the ins and outs of news reporting.
Influencers do little of that. They prize authenticity and spontaneity, and they are judged not on how they appear to a senior executive but how many thousands of followers they can amass. One report claims that influencers in the UAE can make up to $5,000 for a branded post, which more than covers the $4,000 cost of an influencer license. An array of firms promise to connect advertisers with influencers, and of course, influencers with advertisers.
Sometimes, things get political. The United Arab Emirates, which has emerged as a media hub for the entire Arab world, has led the way in many respects. In July, the UAE New Media Academy launched the first digital content training program for social media for youth around the Arab world. In a shift that seemed more subtle at the time, the program featured a prominent Arab-Israeli influencer. In September, after the UAE signed a peace agreement with Israel, some Palestinian groups and individuals in the program accused the academy of acting as a tool to promote normalization to the Arab world.
A flood of praise from Emirati twitter users greeted the peace agreement between Israel and the United Arab Emirates in September. Thousands of messages praised the accord, and the mainstream media has been filled with images of Israelis visiting the UAE and being warmly welcomed. Paid social media influencers seem to have been enlisted in encouraging acceptance of the agreement, although their precise role remains unclear.
Still, initiatives to promote wider Arab cultural normalization with Israel face an uphill battle. The Israeli ministry of strategic affairs reported that 90 percent of Arab social media posts were against the normalization agreement, with many tied to accounts associated with Hezbollah, Hamas, the Palestinian Authority, and non-governmental organizations that Israelis assert promote delegitimization of Israel.
Turning that number around is going to take a lot of influence.
This article is part of the CSIS Middle East Program series Mezze: Assorted Stories from the Middle East.
