From Peers to Professionals

In their work on the regulation of social media influencers, Catalina Goanta and Sofia Ranchordás noted that the topic’s complexities involve, among other things, rethinking “the distinction between peers and professionals” (2019, 14). The United Arab Emirates in 2018 addressed this issue by essentially professionalizing what had previously often been seen as a form of “peer-to-peer” marketing. It did this by requiring official licensure for independent influencers producing sponsored content; it also affirmed the need for clear identification of the latter. While controls on social media content or e-commerce were not new in the UAE or the other Gulf Cooperation Council states, the licensing requirement marked the first such effort in the region specifically aimed at influencers (Bell 2018).[1] The UAE also recently announced that influencer activities are subject to compliance with Value Added Tax obligations, a measure discussed briefly below

Advertising · Business · Influencer marketing · Marketing management · Relationship marketing · Economic Sanctions and International Relations · Islamic Finance and Banking Studies · Socioeconomic Development in MENA · Marketing

• GCC social media influencers

  Open Access•Hajar Mahfoodh, Zainab Mahfoodh et al.•Online Media and Global…•2025

  Add to list