Since early Saturday morning, foreigners in the United Arab Emirates have been sharing videos of plumes of smoke rising from skyscrapers and expressing their shock that a common bastion of stability has come under attack.
“OMG!” Israeli wellness influencer Hofit Golan repeatedly exclaims in a video showing a building on fire near his apartment.
British content creator Will Bailey has been updating his Instagram and TikTok followers by filming the smoke trails left by missiles and interceptor rockets on Dubai’s skyline.
“It’s meters away from us,” he says in a video shot near the Fairmont hotel hit by the strike on Saturday.
Other influencers were less composed, with France’s Meva Gennam waving her passport and telling viewers she “screamed hysterically” when she heard about the strike.
“France, save us!” said Gennam, who rose to fame through reality television.
Some observers have criticized the “complete disconnection” of the “bling-bling world” from the geopolitical realities of the Middle East, where Iran is retaliating against a massive wave of US-Israeli attacks.
Iran targets Gulf countries: more explosions in Dubai, Doha and Manama
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We’re witnessing a ‘back-to-reality’ moment for influencers based in Dubai, according to journalist Emma Ferre, whose 2024 novel “Emirage” chronicles the Emirati capital’s influencer scene.
According to Ferry, in this “world of ignorance … everything seems easy”.
Now, he said, “the bubble is starting to burst.”
‘Talking Politics’
On Sunday, the French Embassy in the UAE reiterated that its nationals in the country cannot leave as Emirati airspace remains closed until further notice.
It urged French citizens there to “strictly follow safety instructions: stay at home (and) stay away from windows, doors and open areas”.
Dubai has become a hive of influencers, entrepreneurs and millionaires in recent years, attracted by the business-friendly and income tax-free city and the lavish lifestyle on offer.
The city of nearly four million inhabitants – 90 percent foreigners – also hosts one of the world’s busiest airports.
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It struck on Saturday, with officials saying four crew members were injured during the “incident” and the Concours were damaged.
In a video posted on Saturday on a beach full of sunbathers, real estate consultant Deepti Mallick strikes a reassuring tone to viewers, saying, “There’s nothing to fear.”
“I think this country takes the safety of its residents and tourists very seriously,” he said.
Ferre said “you can feel the anxiety among influencers … who are well aware that talking politics — or worse, geopolitics — means risking losing followers or being hit with a wave of harassment.”
Content creators are “contractually bound” to brands, which obligate them to continue posting anything, according to the journalist.
“Even if it’s just for shampoo, the video has to go out. It’s this disconnect that looks vulgar in the public eye — to keep making money while the world burns.”
Benjamin Samat, a French influencer based in Dubai, took to Instagram to lash out at “those who are happy on social media that the French are going through this”.
Samat added that he did not want “anyone to wake up to missiles exploding in the sky in the middle of the night”.
(With FRANCE 24 AFP)
(tags to translate)Asia / Pacific
