Sheikh Mohammed leads most popular Twitter conversations in the UAE

Government of Dubai Media Office: His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, led 2019’s most popular Twitter conversations in the UAE, according to a new annual data report from Twitter.

Twitter data revealed that government-related topics were among the most popular conversations in the UAE this year. Tweets that attracted the greatest engagement were driven by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed through his official Twitter handle @HHShkMohd, which is followed by nearly 10 million people across the world. The Twitter report highlights key conversations that took place on the platform throughout the year.

Issued under the hashtag #ThisHappened, the 2019 data report lists the top tweets shared by His Highness on his account.

#Life_has_taught_me (translated from _#)

One of the most prominent conversations related to the UAE in 2019 included a series of tweets of His Highness under the hashtag _# (translated as ‘Life has taught me’). As in previous years, the tweets garnered significant interaction from the public, the report said.

His Highness’s most retweeted post in 2019 under the hashtag #Life_has_taught_me was: "There is no energy crisis, or education crisis, or health crisis in our Arab region. We have a management crisis. We are a people who own great resources and have great competencies, but we lack ones who will manage the resources and qualifications to build a great nation."

In another top tweet carrying the same hashtag, Sheikh Mohammed said: “#Life_has_taught_me to not wait for achievements from those who are good at making excuses...to not wait for opinions from those who do not know their own mind...to not wait for ideas from those who tear down the ideas of others … Life taught me not to wait for anyone, but to lead and others will follow.”

In yet another tweet, he said: “#Life_has_taught_me that at times when we need work to be done, with little controversy, that we need more wise men than fools...Life has taught me that we are in a time where maintaining is more important than gaining...and the unification of hearts is one of the most important lines of our defense...and maintaining our rationality is the best plan in a time when many may riot.”

Another highly retweeted post says: #Life_has_taught_me that a country is not stones and cement, a country is my father; my mother; my grandfather and grandmother; my brother; my sister; my sons and daughters. A homeland is its human beings, its people, my people.”

Initiatives

His Highness Sheikh Mohammed has used Twitter to announce major government decisions and initiatives in the country and share his thoughts and wisdom with millions of followers. A tweet by HH announcing a series of letters marking the start of a new season of work and achievements in the UAE received the highest engagement and retweets in August 2019, the report said.

The data gathered by the social media platform showed that several other tweets by Sheikh Mohammed drew significant engagement from users in 2019, including the tweet that HH posted in February announcing the adoption of new housing plans for citizens. The announcement approved the construction of 34,000 homes worth AED32 billion for Emiratis to be built over the next six years.

Other tweets included in the report included His Highness’s post in May 2019 about the launch of the permanent residency system called the ‘Gold Card’. In the tweet, Sheikh Mohammed said: “We launched a new “Golden Card” system to grant permanent residency to investors and exceptional doctors, engineers, scientists and artists. The first batch of 6,800 investors with AED100 billion worth of investments will be granted the “Golden Card.”

Prominent New Joiners

Twitter also revealed the most influential global figures that joined the platform in 2019. Prominent new joiners included the Deputy Ruler of Dubai His Highness Sheikh Maktoum bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum. Sheikh Maktoum launched his official account during a meeting with co-founder and CEO of Twitter Jack Dorsey in Dubai. In his first series of tweets, Sheikh Maktoum said: “Dubai and Twitter share many aspects in common. Both stand as global hubs open for people, build bridges of understanding and dialogue among nations and represent platforms to nurture youth’s energies and creativity.”

Most Tweeted Hashtags

According to the report, the most prominent event hashtags in the UAE in 2019 included: a special hashtag for the Holy Month of Ramadan; the anniversary of Sheikh Zayed’s passing; UAE Flag Day; Zayed’s ambition with regard to the UAE space mission; and the Year of Tolerance.

Historic Space Mission

The first UAE Astronaut Hazza Al Mansouri’s historic space mission to the International Space Station (ISS) topped the list of UAE events that attracted the most engagement from global and local Twitter users. The space mission witnessed a high number of tweets, especially in the UAE, the report said. Prominent tweets related to this event included His Highness Sheikh Mohammed’s tweet congratulating Al Mansouri on his arrival at the ISS and the picture shared by Al Mansouri showing the UAE from the ISS. "From the happiest astronaut to the happiest nation...this is history, this is the UAE from space," Al Mansouri tweeted with the photo.

His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum is among the most followed and influential leaders on the social networking site, with nearly 10 million followers.

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© Press Release 2019