Dubai Before Influencers: A Nostalgic Look Back at 2016

Dubai Then and Now: A Nostalgic Look at the City Before Influencers Took Over Dubai, the city of dreams, has undergone a dramatic transformation in recent years. Social media influencers have played a significant role in shaping its image and attracting visitors. But what was life like in Dubai before this influencer boom? A recent TikTok video offers a glimpse into the past, specifically the year 2016. The video, shared by Lovin Dubai and sourced from TikTok user abubakr.dxb, uses a point-of-view (POV) style to transport viewers back in time. We see familiar landmarks, like the Burj Khalifa, but the atmosphere is noticeably different. There's a sense of calm and less overt commercialization. The video shows scenes of people going about their daily lives, visiting the Dubai Mall aquarium, and driving along the city's roads. It's a collection of moments that evoke a sense of simpler times. "Before Habibi came to Dubai was taken too seriously," says the video description, hinting at the shift in the city's image and the rise of a more curated online presence. The video's success, with thousands of views in just a few days, demonstrates a clear audience interest in this nostalgic perspective. It serves as a reminder that Dubai's current vibrant and often highly-produced image is a relatively recent phenomenon. The video's popularity suggests a desire to reconnect with a less commercialized past, a simpler time before the pervasive influence of social media.