UAE, Dubai – The creator economy is expanding at an unprecedented pace, and success in the sector will increasingly depend on authenticity, meaningful differentiation and long-term thinking rather than chasing numbers, speakers told audiences at the 1 Billion Followers Summit in Dubai.

Emirati content creator and YouTuber Khalid Al Ameri, Ambassador for the 1 Billion Followers Summit 2026, delivered a session on day 1 of the summit, urging creators to look beyond metrics such as followers, likes and engagement, warning that the pursuit of numbers alone risks distorting both purpose and credibility.

Organised by the UAE Government Media Office, the 1 Billion Followers Summit 2026 runs from 9 to 11 January 2026 across multiple venues including Jumeirah Emirates Towers, DIFC and the Museum of the Future, under the theme “Content for Good.”

Al Ameri, who has a following of more than 22 million across platforms, said the creator economy is no longer a short-term trend but a structural shift that will define media, culture and business for decades.

“We’re looking at a stage now where the creator economy is growing at such a rapid pace, it’s not here for the short term, this is the future,” he said. “The question is: how do we build creators for the next thirty years?”

He cautioned that focusing purely on growth metrics creates pressure to compromise values and authenticity.

“Followers, likes and engagement are always moving targets,” he said. “If we focus only on the numbers, we end up doing anything we can to get them, regardless of how that makes us look or what it does to our message.”

Al Ameri, who is known for storytelling that connects communities and celebrates cultural differences, encouraged creators to embrace what makes them distinctive rather than conforming to platform trends or external expectations.

In a separate session titled “How To Stand Out In A Noisy World”, branding strategist and content creator Chris Do, Founder and CEO of The Futur, argued that strong personal brands require clarity, courage and a willingness to be different — even at the risk of being disliked.

“If you say what everyone else is saying and do not take a position, you give people no reason to follow you or buy into your product or service,” he told the audience.

Do said that many professionals dilute their identities by adopting uniform “professional” personas, making themselves indistinguishable in an increasingly crowded digital landscape.

“We adopt a professional persona that strips us of our individuality,” he said. “That makes us blend in and become part of the crowd.”

He also stressed the importance of aesthetic discernment as a signal of quality and intent.

“Beauty is shorthand for quality,” he said. “When we go to a beautiful hotel or see a beautifully made product, we assume it has been made well. How you package yourself and your story matters — packaging matters a lot.”

The 1 Billion Followers Summit is expected to attract more than 30,000 attendees, including over 15,000 content creators, alongside more than 500 expert speakers with a combined audience exceeding 3.5 billion followers, as well as 150+ CEOs and global industry leaders.

The event aims to explore how digital influence can be harnessed responsibly to create social, cultural and economic value in an increasingly connected world.

About the 1 Billion Followers Summit

With a goal of reaching over a billion people worldwide, the 1 Billion Followers Summit, the world’s largest event dedicated to shaping the content creator economy, organized by the UAE Government Media Office, brings together top global social media influencers across all online platforms. The summit explores how new media can drive positive societal change and fuel sustainable economic growth for nations. It is a key component of the UAE’s drive to foster a vibrant content creator community.

For more information, please visit www.1billionsummit.com