Bankruptcy and the pursuit of money, its “heroes” are those called social media celebrities, as they excelled in creating empty content and showcasing a fake and extravagant lifestyle, portraying to others that creating emptiness achieves wealth, owning cars, and eating food in the most luxurious restaurants and hotels, while “Aladdin’s magic carpet” takes care of transporting them between countries and world capitals in a tourism characterized by obscene spending.

Many social media celebrities have become empty vessels without content, in the industry of "showboating" that does not rise to the level of real life, but it deceives some, which turns the lives of these people into troubles in the pursuit of fame and following the behaviors and lives of celebrities, believing that the speed of reaching fame lies in content that is contrary or outside the norm.

License suspension and fine

The General Authority for Audiovisual Media fined a Snapchat celebrity 100,000 riyals and decided to suspend his media license for 30 days because he repeatedly published media content that violated regulations during his participation in real estate and social events, and because he did not comply with what was stipulated in the Audiovisual Media Law regarding not broadcasting any media content that includes false information that is not based on documented facts and information.

The Media Regulatory Authority also announced that it had summoned a famous Snapchat user and taken legal action against her after she provided incorrect information about her advertising income. The user deliberately stirred controversy by announcing that she had achieved an annual income exceeding 100 million riyals.

The authority had previously imposed a fine of 400,000 riyals on two social media celebrities after they published a video clip that included “insults to a friendly country.” Then it imposed another fine of 400,000 riyals on an Arab celebrity who visited Saudi Arabia and committed advertising violations. The matter of these (celebrities), men and women, has turned into a controversy regarding their content.

Chasing a hair salon girl

The impact of social media celebrities on society cannot be denied or ignored. Many of them are followed by millions, and their actions are monitored constantly. Everything they do may be imitated by the younger generation, and their influence is reflected in the customs and traditions of society. Meanwhile, they seek financial gain through advertising on their platforms without regard for the negative consequences of their actions, such as fake or deceptive content that affects children and teenagers. We see, from time to time, the authorities summoning one of these celebrities and imposing a financial penalty on him or her, which makes society aware of the extent of their violations, which are easily transmitted and viewed.

The Riyadh Municipality announced that its field teams immediately responded to a report about a men's barbershop violating regulations by providing unlicensed services to a girl who broadcast her violation. The Riyadh Municipality took action after a report and the circulation of a video showing the men's barbershop providing services to a woman, in clear violation of the requirements.

In response to citizens' inquiries, the municipality explained that it received the report through its unified call center, 940, and immediately dispatched specialized teams to investigate the matter. The inspections resulted in the detection of several violations related to non-compliance with the terms of the licensed activity.

The Secretariat confirmed that the owner of the commercial establishment was summoned to complete the legal procedures against him, stressing the importance of adhering to the regulations and rules in force in the practice of commercial activities in order to ensure the safety and quality of services provided to the community.

The girl had previously committed the same violation, contributing to the closure of a men’s salon in the Jazan region after she got a haircut there and deliberately broadcast her actions through her social media platform. It was only a matter of hours before the salon was closed.

Emptiness and cheap profiteering

What is broadcast through those platforms illustrates the chaos in which what is called new media is living, whose dangers are creeping into homes and are watched by everyone. The magic formula for some of them is to present and create emptiness, and to deliberately create a show with illegal actions and vulgar behavior.

Many platforms have turned into a breeding ground for undisciplined actions, as content creation is a means of making money for them and a profession for those who have no profession, while some commercial companies rush to market their products on them in search of access to their followers, without caring about the extent of the impact of their offering and content.

Famous and real estate fraud

The head of the Financial Fraud Prosecution at the Public Prosecution, Dr. Nayef Al-Waked, told the story of the celebrity who participated in a major fraud operation through which he collected about two billion riyals, pointing out that some fraudsters resort to using celebrities to promote an idea or investment project in order to attract as many victims as possible.

According to Dr. Al-Waked, the details of the story go back to when a fraudster used a famous person and promoted an investment idea for real estate and commercial complexes north of Riyadh, and began promoting the idea, which made people rush to invest in it, believing that it was a real investment, when it was not a real investment at all.

Don't make fools famous

Social worker Talal Al-Nashri urges social media users not to elevate these individuals to fame. He added that society's encouragement of such people not only perpetuates their behavior but also breeds even more foolish individuals. He explained that the actions of these celebrities negatively impact society. Many of them portray unrealistic lifestyles characterized by constant travel, extravagant spending, and the acquisition of luxury cars. In reality, much of this is based on rented accommodations or invitations, yet these celebrities present their lifestyles as genuine, prompting others to imitate them. This, he argues, contributes to the destruction of their homes and lives.

Social researcher Al-Nashri stressed that the technology revolution and the ease of access to communication platforms are a real opportunity to create meaningful content and provide quality in promoting content. We have seen what some broadcast in terms of highlighting the progress and development of the Kingdom and the projects it is experiencing, while at the same time some seize that opportunity and look for profit and wealth without considering what content they provide.

Protecting followers from misinformation

The General Authority for Audiovisual Media affirmed that its procedures aim to protect the interests of society and followers, and to provide diverse and purposeful media content that does not include misleading information or anything that violates the Audiovisual Media Law; which contributes to strengthening and improving the media sector to reach the highest levels of excellence at the regional and international levels.

She explained that the Ministry of Information is working to develop and regulate the media sector in the Kingdom in a way that ensures sustainability and excellence. It is also working to improve the business environment and ensure the quality of media content, in coordination with relevant local and international bodies

Visual media: Ongoing sanctions

During the first quarter of 2023, the Authority recorded more than 4,000 media violations, 15% of which were detected through public cooperation via the available reporting channels.

The reports varied between violations of electronic publishing of media content, inciting sports fanaticism, practicing media work without obtaining a license, in addition to non-compliance with the controls for importing and distributing media content and unauthorized receivers.

Accordingly, the Authority issued more than 1,700 summonses to violators to verify the violation, and referred more than 950 violations for the Authority to issue decisions on them, or to refer them to be presented before the committees to consider violations of the provisions of the Publications and Publishing Law and the Audiovisual Media Law.

The decisions issued varied between issuing warnings, financial penalties, suspending and canceling media licenses, publishing apologies on the media outlet, temporarily suspending violators from appearing in the media, and confiscating violating media materials. The authority will announce the pending cases in due course.

It is worth noting that media regulations guarantee the right of the violator to object to the decisions issued within the specified regulatory periods.

Trusted... Official License

Lawyer and legal consultant Rami Al-Sharif explained that the (Mawthooq) license, issued by the Audiovisual Media Authority, is an official permit granted to individuals and companies to practice commercial advertising in a regulated manner, adding: This license comes to ensure that advertisements comply with the regulations and rules in force in the Kingdom, which contributes to protecting consumer rights.

He added: Celebrities are role models for their audience, and they may gain a lot of information from them; therefore, their advertisements are a responsibility on them. When they advertise a product or service, they bear a great responsibility to ensure the accuracy and credibility of the information provided. Irregular advertisements may lead to severe penalties under the regulations.

Al-Sharif explained that one of the most prominent potential violations that celebrities commit is misleading advertising. Any advertisement containing false or misleading information is considered a violation. Advertising without a permit is also a violation, and one should obtain a (trusted) license so as not to be subject to financial penalties if they advertise.

Lawyer Al-Sharif stressed that Article (21) of the Electronic Commerce Law stipulates the necessity of not using advertisements for any misleading or illegal content, and Article (4) of the Audiovisual Media Law requires individuals and companies to obtain a license to practice commercial advertising.

He emphasized the legal responsibility of the celebrity, and in the event of violating these articles, the violator may be subject to fines of up to 500,000 Saudi Riyals and the withdrawal of the license.