To be appreciated and respected by our peers is a human need, and we put a lot of time into pursuing this goal. Popularity and influence have traditionally been difficult things to measure, but social media introduced a variety of metrics that seemed to indicate prestige – our numbers of friends, followers, views, comments and likes. These numbers could lead to opportunities and rewards in the real world. But that system can be easily manipulated, with everything from views on YouTube to followers on Instagram susceptible to fakery.
The ability of people and businesses to buy the illusion of success is a sign of a broken system, and some social media platforms are now stepping up measures to combat the problem. Beginning this week, Instagram stated that it will ban "inauthentic likes, follows and comments from accounts that use third-party apps to boost their popularity". Meanwhile, the co-founders of Twitter have been expressing regret that their platform has contributed to the numbers race. "I think showing follower counts was probably ultimately detrimental," said co-founder Ev Williams. "It really put in your face that the game was popularity."
What influencers can gain
That game is an addictive one, with a strong cyclical element. Big numbers attract attention, which inflates those numbers further, attracting yet more attention, all assisted by the algorithms that power the social media platforms. For people, an obsession with accumulating likes, follows and comments could be related to self-esteem, but there can be financial rewards, too. As businesses realised that a new breed of online "influencer" wielded considerable marketing power, those influencers began to command large sums of money for promoting products or denigrating competitors, with the sums rising in proportion to their perceived influence.
On one end of the scale, a restaurant in Milan currently offers free dishes to anyone with more than 1,000 Instagram followers who promotes the restaurant. On the other, someone with a million Twitter followers can command as much as $20,000 (Dh73,450) for a single promotional tweet. If you've got the numbers, "influencing" can be lucrative – but with real popularity very difficult to achieve, people inevitably opt for shortcuts.
“A lot of people have visible influence,” says Jonathan Gebauer from marketing consultants The Social Ms, “but that doesn’t translate into real influence, because they’ve simply bought their followers. It’s easy to impress people with big numbers, but the numbers are never correct. What you’re seeing is a representation of reality, not reality itself.”
The black market for fake followers, views and likes has grown substantially over the years, to a point where more than a billion accounts across Twitter, Facebook and Instagram are bots simulating the actions of real people by following, liking and commenting. If you have the money to spend, those bots can be harnessed to do your bidding and make you appear to be the flavour of the month, and this kind of activity has become endemic.
A recent investigation by The New York Times uncovered a firm called Devumi, which sold millions of fake followers to people and businesses. Several celebrities had their follower numbers artificially inflated by black market purchases. "It's fraud," admitted one Olympic sportsman after owning up to his purchase. "People who judge by how many likes or how many followers – it's not a healthy thing."
And yet the need to be perceived as important continues to seduce people into artificially boosting their numbers. Earlier this month, an American musician by the name of Jered Threatin achieved notoriety after managing to book a European tour for his band on the back of faked social media activity. When it became clear to him that you can’t actually fake an audience in a room, his plan began to unravel. The band’s performances to empty venues proved financially ruinous for Threatin, but the debacle was an illustration of how online numbers can, at least for a while, be an effective smokescreen.
Other issues that arise
Gebauer believes that the act of misreporting your numbers and misrepresenting your popularity leads to far more widespread problems relating to trust. “For example, if businesses are honest to potential investors about their numbers, it makes those numbers seem smaller than they actually are.
“I was told by one investor that they expect the numbers to be 20 per cent lower than they’re told in the pitch!”
In other words, everyone's at it – and this misrepresentation goes all the way to the top, with Facebook itself coming under fire for reporting statistics that are clearly at odds with reality. One study found that the firm claimed to reach more people in certain demographics and locations than actually exist. Last month a lawsuit was filed claiming that Facebook had inflated its video viewership metrics, leading businesses to spend more money on the platform in the mistaken belief that it would yield more revenue.
Few businesses can afford to throw good money after bad based on guesswork. "We spend enormous amounts of time trying to understand, analyse and explain the [different metrics] between Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat, Pinterest, Pandora and YouTube," said Procter & Gamble's Mark Pritchard earlier this year in a speech calling for greater transparency. This summer, the multinational Unilever questioned the role of influencers in marketing and called for fraud to be weeded out.
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“Social media platforms are starting to realise how fundamentally soulless and empty many of their metrics are,” says digital marketing expert Marcus Sheridan. “Finally they’re being scrutinised a bit and they’re having to clean up shop. We’ve got entire businesses and brands built on vanity metrics and sandy foundations. Transparency and authenticity have to be the metrics going forward.”
But how do you measure popularity authentically, in a way that can’t be undermined or meddled with? This will be an ongoing question for social media firms to address. Even if bot activity can be stamped out, there’s the additional problem of “engagement pods”, where large groups of people agree to promote each other to give the illusion of popularity, skewing everything from political debate to musicians’ fan bases. The most effective solution would be for us to stop being impressed by large numbers, and to shed our inherent need to be perceived as popular. But these things are hard-wired into us, and will forever be a weakness that no amount of technology could ever compensate for.
THE SPECS
Engine: 6.75-litre twin-turbocharged V12 petrol engine
Power: 420kW
Torque: 780Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
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Results
3pm: Maiden Dh165,000 (Dirt) 1,400m, Winner: Lancienegaboulevard, Adrie de Vries (jockey), Fawzi Nass (trainer).
3.35pm: Maiden Dh165,000 (Turf) 1,600m, Winner: Al Mukhtar Star, Adrie de Vries, Fawzi Nass.
4.10pm: Handicap Dh165,000 (D) 2,000m, Winner: Gundogdu, Xavier Ziani, Salem bin Ghadayer.
4.45pm: Handicap Dh185,000 (T) 1,200m, Winner: Speedy Move, Sean Kirrane, Satish Seemar.
5.20pm: Handicap Dh185,000 (D) 1,600m, Winner: Moqarrar, Dane O’Neill, Erwan Charpy.
5.55pm: Handicap Dh175,000 (T) 1,800m, Winner: Dolman, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar.
The specs
Engine: 3.5-litre twin-turbo V6
Power: 380hp at 5,800rpm
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Transmission: Eight-speed auto
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Remaining Fixtures
Wednesday: West Indies v Scotland
Thursday: UAE v Zimbabwe
Friday: Afghanistan v Ireland
Sunday: Final
The biog
Age: 46
Number of Children: Four
Hobby: Reading history books
Loves: Sports
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
The biog
Name: Mariam Ketait
Emirate: Dubai
Hobbies: I enjoy travelling, experiencing new things, painting, reading, flying, and the French language
Favourite quote: "Be the change you wish to see" - unknown
Favourite activity: Connecting with different cultures
Cry Macho
Director: Clint Eastwood
Stars: Clint Eastwood, Dwight Yoakam
Rating:**
What is the FNC?
The Federal National Council is one of five federal authorities established by the UAE constitution. It held its first session on December 2, 1972, a year to the day after Federation.
It has 40 members, eight of whom are women. The members represent the UAE population through each of the emirates. Abu Dhabi and Dubai have eight members each, Sharjah and Ras al Khaimah six, and Ajman, Fujairah and Umm Al Quwain have four.
They bring Emirati issues to the council for debate and put those concerns to ministers summoned for questioning.
The FNC’s main functions include passing, amending or rejecting federal draft laws, discussing international treaties and agreements, and offering recommendations on general subjects raised during sessions.
Federal draft laws must first pass through the FNC for recommendations when members can amend the laws to suit the needs of citizens. The draft laws are then forwarded to the Cabinet for consideration and approval.
Since 2006, half of the members have been elected by UAE citizens to serve four-year terms and the other half are appointed by the Ruler’s Courts of the seven emirates.
In the 2015 elections, 78 of the 252 candidates were women. Women also represented 48 per cent of all voters and 67 per cent of the voters were under the age of 40.
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
Engine: 5.6-litre V8
Transmission: seven-speed automatic
Power: 400hp
Torque: 560Nm
Price: Dh234,000 - Dh329,000
On sale: now
What is dialysis?
Dialysis is a way of cleaning your blood when your kidneys fail and can no longer do the job.
It gets rid of your body's wastes, extra salt and water, and helps to control your blood pressure. The main cause of kidney failure is diabetes and hypertension.
There are two kinds of dialysis — haemodialysis and peritoneal.
In haemodialysis, blood is pumped out of your body to an artificial kidney machine that filter your blood and returns it to your body by tubes.
In peritoneal dialysis, the inside lining of your own belly acts as a natural filter. Wastes are taken out by means of a cleansing fluid which is washed in and out of your belly in cycles.
It isn’t an option for everyone but if eligible, can be done at home by the patient or caregiver. This, as opposed to home haemodialysis, is covered by insurance in the UAE.
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
SPEC%20SHEET
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The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
Palestine and Israel - live updates
The Kingfisher Secret
Anonymous, Penguin Books
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre 4-cyl turbo
Power: 194hp at 5,600rpm
Torque: 275Nm from 2,000-4,000rpm
Transmission: 6-speed auto
Price: from Dh155,000
On sale: now
Company%C2%A0profile
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Voices: How A Great Singer Can Change Your Life
Nick Coleman
Jonathan Cape
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Ms Yang's top tips for parents new to the UAE
- Join parent networks
- Look beyond school fees
- Keep an open mind
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
