NRC Insider knowledge Dreaming of a life in Dubai that does not exist The number of young people on social assistance has been increasing for twelve quarters in a row. Experts cite the influence of social media as a cause. This creates more pressure to perform, and the luxurious life of influencers in Dubai in particular makes young people doubt themselves.

Nowadays, if you ask a thirteen-year-old what they want to be when they grow up, the answer is ‘influencer in Dubai’. They used to say doctor. Youth worker Omar Timmermans recently told me this. I am writing an article about why the number of young people on social assistance is increasing (more about that later in the newspaper and on the website). The numbers have been increasing for twelve quarters in a row. No one knows exactly why, the causes are diffuse.

Recent interviews with experts and experienced experts have made it clear: young people suffer from performance pressure. It has always been there, but social media makes young people more exposed to the successes of others. “The first thing young people see when they wake up in the morning is the perfect life of an influencer on Insta or TikTok,” says Timmermans. Often in Dubai.

They think they should achieve that too. As quickly as possible. Otherwise you don’t belong. Only if you drive a big car, you are the man. And so, according to Timmermans, they take risks by gambling or investing incorrectly. This is how they get into financial problems. This causes stress, work becomes less and less successful, and at a certain point a benefit – to put it bluntly – is the only way out.

Dubaigirly

So far I can follow the story. But what’s going on in Dubai? Why exactly does everyone want to live the influencer life there? And what does that look like? Something I also hear a lot in conversations about the increasing number of young people on social assistance: to understand and tackle this problem, you have to delve deeper into the living environment of young people. With this one. I involve my 15-year-old sister. Would she like to send me some TikTok videos in this theme? I also ask her if she knows the hype. Of course, she says, rolling her eyes a little.

I am now in the #dubailuxurylifestylerabbit hole from TikTok (even downloaded the app). I see rich people who have one housetour give. In addition to a sauna and a church hall, a man also has a hairdressing salon in his house. His lift is gold-plated. He says he has more than thirty cars. His house is worth over 100 million (currency undefined).

A woman named @thedubaigirly wonders whether the color of her hair will influence the social media career she aspires to. Someone had told her that blonde hair with blue eyes doesn’t do as well in Dubai. Should she dye her hair dark?

Millionaire

A 22-year-old Dutch woman shows what her life in Dubai costs. They pay 1,300 euros per month for the “beautiful apartment” on the sixth floor where she and her boyfriend live. That day they took a taxi tothe mall” and that cost 8.50 euros. They went to work and had lunch at a cafe. That cost 38.50 euros. Her boyfriend stayed there to continue working. In the meantime, she went “nicely shopping”. She bought, among other things, a mirror in a home decoration store and half a kilo of ribeye in the supermarket for 13.50 euros. She works hard every day to become a millionaire, she says. “Don’t forget to follow me for our life in Dubai and mine journey as an online entrepreneur.”

It is possible to become a millionaire in Dubai, says a Dutch man in another video. There are “many people with a lot of wealth” living there who can “inspire” you. Many people come to Dubai with a “normal job or a reasonable business” and ensure that they “work hard and hard through the inspiration around them and then become millionaires.” Moreover, the people he knows have bought their Lamborghini and not “leased” it as is sometimes suggested.

Censorship

After scrolling a bit longer I arrive a video from the NOS in return for. Apparently tens of thousands of influencers live in Dubai. They have an active role in promoting the country. The state is looking for new sources of income if oil ever runs out there. The influencers are ‘talents’ who can contribute to this. However, they must adhere to strict rules according to their work visa. This means that their content must not damage the reputation of the country. That is why countless influencers (including Dutch) made this announcement shortly after the outbreak of the war in Iran videos about how safe Dubai was. While the missiles flew over their heads, they “just went out to eat.”

Dutch young people strive for lives (in Dubai) that do not exist and thus get themselves into trouble. Not only are lives made more beautiful than they are (as always on social media), they are even censored. Young people also believe the image that influencers present to them: that anyone can make it, if you just try hard enough. That is simply not true. Yet many young people think it is their own fault if that ‘perfect’, censored life in Dubai does not work out for them. A painful realization that this fake Dubai luxury lifestyle indirectly causes financial problems for Dutch young people.

What do you think about the influence of social media on financial problems? Send an email to s.moeliker@nrc.nl