Name: What’s REALLY behind identical posts from Dubai influencers? | BBC News
Uploaded: 2026-03-06T16:48:17.000Z
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Many influencers in the UAE are posting identical messages across social media.

At first glance, it looks like people are hopping on a social trend.

But we've been investigating and uncovered some signs that there is more to it.

Watch the news and you'll have seen that parts of the United Arab Emirates were recently targeted by Iranian missiles, most of them successfully intercepted by the UAE and allied defense systems.

The entire region has been pulled into the growing confrontation following the US Israel strikes on Iran.

One explosion happened near the Fairmont Hotel on the Pan Jumeirah, one of the most exclusive and protected parts of Dubai.

But when we analyzed posts from influencers based in Dubai during the first days of the conflict, we found a number of interesting things.

Between 28 February and 4 March, we collected 129 Instagram posts from 21 accounts.

Our first finding the wording across many of them was strikingly similar messages about not being afraid, trusting the leadership, and

the country's strong air defence systems.

The most frequently repeated phrase was air defence appearing 18 times.

That was followed by stay safe appearing 17 times and strong leadership appearing 15 times.

Other phrases like defence systems, advanced defence and defense unshaken appeared almost as often.

Taken together, the post reinforced three main safety, stability and strong leadership.

Secondly, we found that in several cases, posts were uploaded within seconds or minutes of each other.

For example, on 1 March, one account posted a message emphasizing leadership and national strength.

Just 31 seconds later, another posted about air defence systems and safety, and

this happened more than once in the accounts we analyzed.

Thirdly, our analysis found that similar posts spanning across many Arab countries performed unusually well.

Several of them attracted far more views, likes and shares and the influencers Typical posts There are a few possible explanations for that.

Content about conflicts often perform well on social media, but

unusually high engagement can also happen when posts are artificially boosted through advertising or bot networks designed to make messaging appear organic, a tactic sometimes called astroturfing.

So does repetitive wording, simultaneous posting and heightened engagement signal something else is behind these posts.

These indications usually point to a coordinated effort, but

we do not know for sure that this is the case here.

Some comments sections picked up on the repetition, too.

This creator responded to those allegations, joking that she's paid in safety and lifestyle, adding that she made the video to show people in the region that they're not alone.

Another influencer posted the reason we're all saying it is because we believe in it.

We know influencers are a major part of the country's economy and global branding strategy.

In fact, the government offers a special golden visa for content creators, which promises long term residency, zero income tax and support such as studio access and mentorship.

Residents can also get an influencing permit to advertise on social media, but

the UAE has strict laws about what you can post.

It's illegal to spread what authorities consider to be false information or rumors.

Breaking those laws can lead to large fines or prison sentences.

And since the conflict broke out, the UAE government has specifically warned residents against posting any content that contradicts official announcements.

But in a country where almost 90% of residents come from abroad, some supporters feel it's within the government's right to have such policies.