A social media influencer was fined Dh5,000 by the Dubai Court of Appeal upheld by the Criminal Court of First Instance for offending a private hospital on her Instagram platform.
What was posted online?
Within the video, the influencer used offensive language against the hospital and as a result, was asked for it to be urgently removed. The hospital reported the influencer to have posted a poll on her social media, provoking her followers to respond on whether or not it was the worst hospital they had ever been to. This was after the influencer’s mother had a blood sample taken and saw a change in her skin.
Story develops
However, when questioned by the Public Prosecution, she denied charges saying she posted about an incident with her mother which the hospital had taken as an insult. The influencer also filed a complaint with the hospital management about her mother’s reaction, however, when she called again, the hospital said they were not at fault.
Final report
The Department of Cyber Crime and Electronic Evidence at the General Department of Criminal Evident in Dubai Police released a report stating that the influencer’s followers sent her inboxes agreeing it was the worst hospital. The report also supported her claim that she rarely posts negative content on her socials, however, did not want to remain silent about this situation.
The influencer’s name is unknown, as well as the name of the private hospital.
Sensitive content online
It is important to be aware of social media rules and regulations in order to be aware of what to post and what not to post. Influencers have the power to change the minds of people and followers, however, if used in the wrong way or not articulated in the proper manner, this could lead to consequences and rule-breaking.
Filter your content
As influencers, posting regular content for your followers is a common thing, so it may be time to refresh your content. Go through all of the social media content you have created and filter through what you may think is abusive or disrespectful for your followers to see. Celebrity and influencer Maya Jama once created a video during the Indian celebration of Diwali, swearing on the camera and mocking the name Diwali.
The video was then taken down by Maya after being told the video was offensive to those who celebrated the joyous festive. Remember, you want to represent yourself to your followers and brands in a good light and therefore should regularly filter through or ask friends/family members how you think your content comes across to others.
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