DUBAI // Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, has become the first Arab leader to receive a verification badge from Instagram.
The photo-sharing social media platform recently began issuing verification badges to the accounts of its elite users to help people find the official profiles of public figures, celebrities, athletes and brands.
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, one of the most active world leaders on social media, uses his official Instagram account, @HHSHKMOHD, to post photos and videos of his day-to-day activities. He has also used his account to promote national campaigns and humanitarian drives.
As of Saturday, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid had posted 485 photos, in addition to many exclusive video clips. Each new photo he posts receives an average of about 15,000 “likes” within the first day. The account has attracted about 758,000 followers from all over the world and gains about 1,000 extra fans per day.
Some of the photos Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid has posted on his Instagram page registered a large number of likes. The photo with UAE President Sheikh Khalifa attracted 58,550 likes. His photo with Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of UAE Armed Forces, collected 47,299 likes.
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid’s photo with his son, Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed, the Crown Prince of Dubai, while riding the Dubai Tram during a trial run of the project collected 60,930 likes, while his photo with his youngest son, Sheikh Zayed bin Mohammed, collected 56,800 likes.
A blue badge appears next to the account holder’s name when they are verified by Instagram.
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