Dubai: Snapchat, a photo-video messaging mobile application popular among youth, has named Shaikh Hamdan Bin Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Dubai Crown Prince, among a select group of international leaders, celebrities and influencers who will have ‘Official Stories’.
The initiative is introduced by Snapchat to help its members easily discover and identify interesting stories about leading global personalities.
Snapchat is a storytelling platform that allows users to share pictures, which disappear within seconds after being shared.
Shaikh Hamdan’s inclusion in the select list reflects his rising global popularity as well as his growing profile as an icon for young Arabs.
He is seen as a leader who actively engages with the public not only regionally but also internationally.
In the initial phase of its launch, Snapchat’s ‘Official Stories’ initiative is being rolled out to a small group of high-profile celebrities, influencers and leaders.
When Snapchat members search for a specific personality with an ‘Official Story’, they will see the person’s name at the top of the page under a new “Official Story” header. An emoji to the far right will also identify the Official Story.
Snapchat is a social media messaging application that allows users to share photos, videos, text and drawings. The app is currently estimated to have over 100 million active users every day, most of whom are young users. According to the company, in May 2015, the app’s users were sending two billion photos and videos per day, while Snapchat Stories content was being viewed 500 million times per day.
Shaikh Hamdan has a strong following on the world’s prominent social media networks with almost 1.4 million followers on Facebook, over 1.37 million on Twitter and over 2.8 million on Instagram.
His large following reflects his keenness to use social media as a means of direct engagement with the public following the example set by his father His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai
The public can follow Shaikh Hamdan on his Snapchat id: faz3.
