Before running out of its oil reserves, the United Arab Emirates has been putting all efforts to keep the structure of its economy standing. For years now, the authorities have been investing all they have on the most important pillar, that is, tourism. Official data revealed that the sector contributed 11.5 per cent of GDP in 2019.
Deemed as “the first successful post-oil economy”, the UAE cannot afford to make even the slightest mistake that can stain its global public image. That is why, everything that happens inside the Emirates remains under stern surveillance and moves perfectly as per the plans of its leaders. Today, the Arab nation relies heavily on social media for marketing, promotion and, most importantly, reputation management.
Influencers from across the world with millions of Instagram followers are working to promote the tourist spots and luxuries of the Emirates. To get paid in the UAE, these influencers either have to acquire an individual license of nearly over $4000, or they can work with an influencer agency. However, portraying the country as tolerant and tourist friendly is not an easy job. Authorities keep a constant check on the content being posted online by such paid influencers, who are restricted to not post anything that goes against the country’s image, criticises its politics or demeans its religion.
TikTok became another popularly used social media platform for the UAE. Apart from the Influencers, the Emirati government has often partnered directly with TikTok for promotion. As a part of the World’s Coolest Winter Campaign launched in December 2020, the UAE Government Media Office partnered with TikTok, aiming to promote domestic tourism.
Even in April 2021, the Department of Culture and Tourism, Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi) teamed up with the platform, where a channel named “Visit Abu Dhabi” was created to reach worldwide audiences. It used the content creators to showcase only the positive about the country and push people to travel to the Emirates.
The social media applications that the UAE has been using for image-building are also being operated by the marginalized migrant worker community in the country. A number of these workers have been using their personal accounts to highlight the working conditions, where they are not paid or receive low wages, harassed, overworked, live in crowded rooms and face discrimination.
Besides, unlicensed agents in the Arab nation have been using Instagram for a black market network of women migrant workers, who are recruited through informal channels. Majorly from Africa and Asia, these women are kept in cramped rooms until they are picked by an employer. Their pictures are posted on Instagram accounts, along with their personal information. These migrant workers get jobs that lack proper pay, working conditions and even documentation. Nearly 200 such accounts are operating across countries like the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait.
Human rights activists highlighted that the licensed workers in the Emirates face difficult working conditions and even abuse, but have access to better workplace protections and help from their respective embassies, as they are documented. However, the undocumented migrant workers recruited by unlicensed agents are at a higher risk of trafficking, abuse and other types of exploitation.
On one hand, the UAE has been attempting to paint a colorful picture of being one of the most tourist-friendly destinations across the world. However, on the other, the country’s dark reality is hardly able to hide in the era of social media. The pseudo tolerant image of the Gulf nation is grinding between the government’s efforts to maintain it and the discriminated migrant workers’ attempts of highlighting the atrocities they face.
