ABSTRACT

This chapter explores the professionalisation as well as commercialisation of online content in the GCC. It explores the representation of gender and identity in online and offline spaces, used for civic engagement, commercial outlets and spaces for entertainment. Online content is used to advance a profession or career. It suggests that most influencers, bloggers and vloggers started off as private and non-commercial accounts and slowly changed over time to being turned into businesses or advocacy groups that follow the same mechanisms and strategies of professional PR agencies, sometimes with support of big media firms.