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'My haters are my biggest fans': Social media star Mo Vlogs has a message for his trolls

Hailed as one of the most popular content creators in the UAE, the YouTuber, famous for showcasing Dubai's opulent lifestyle, opens up about his journey to the top and how he deals with public scrutiny

Mohamed Beiraghdary, popularly known as Mo Vlogs, has made a name for himself as one of the most prominent YouTubers and vloggers from Dubai. Renowned for his daily vlogs, Mo offers viewers a window into the opulent lifestyle the city is known for. His content has become known for showcasing luxury cars, high-end shopping sprees, and travels, providing an aspirational glimpse into his everyday experiences.

Besides YouTube, Mo Vlogs maintains a strong social media presence on platforms such as Instagram, where he engages with a substantial following. However, his inspiration to become a content creator dates back to the early years of his journey when he spent hours on end, watching YouTubers, immersing himself in the world they crafted.

“Eventually, I thought, ‘Why don't I try this out? It looks fun, and I enjoy watching the videos’. So, I started making my own videos,” says Mo, dressed head-to-toe in his statement white ensemble (literally, head to toe with his hair dyed white), as we catch up with him on the fringes of the 1 Billion Followers Summit earlier this month.

“I just fell in love with it—the interaction, the comments. At that time, I didn't have many friends,” he adds. “I was introverted, always at home, so it felt nice having people talk to me online and commenting. It made me feel like I had friends.”

The path to garnering viewers hasn’t been an overnight success story for the content creator, whose foray into the world of social media originally began with creating gaming content. “I think I made it to around 1,000 subscribers,” says Mo, admitting that it didn’t take him very far. “Even back then when I started, I used to go on other people’s YouTube channels and write, ‘Hey, come check my channel out, please subscribe’. My aim was to get three subscribers every single day,” Mo recounts.

However, his frequent travels prompted a shift away from gaming and into vlogging, which eventually led him to the ladder of fame. “I was travelling a lot, so it just made sense to vlog more because I was always on the move.” Switching gears from gaming to daily lifestyle and vlogging, a fascination with luxury cars has also become an integral part of Mo Vlogs’ content. When asked what sparked this fascination towards supercars, he asks, “Who doesn’t love cars?”

“Obviously, I grew up watching rappers and music videos with Lamborghinis. We used to watch celebrities turn up with their fancy cars, so it was always an inspiration. And then my sister ended up buying one eventually, we finally found her supercar, so I thought, why not film such content?”

Over the years, the content creator has garnered a significant fanbase that enjoys his content for its entertainment value, but the journey has not been without criticism. Particularly for the materialistic focus of his videos, sparking discussions about the impact on younger audiences.

So, does he ever worry that he might be feeding into the stereotypes that are commonly associated with the Dubai lifestyle? “Yeah, I guess so,” he responds after some contemplation. “But I don't think I’ve ever tried to do anything for a specific reason. Maybe because I grew up here, these are my natural characteristics,” says the YouTuber. “The way Dubai is built, it’s perfect. You have the most beautiful places, the tallest towers, the most luxurious hotels, the nicest cars, the nicest people. It’s just the perfect place for content.”

The best part about the city, according to the content creator, is that “people here don't judge”. “In other countries, you get people hating on success, but here, if I see someone with a nice car, people say, ‘Wow, that’s a cool car. How can I be like them?’ This is a great aspect about Dubai. People don't have a hateful mindset.”

While he tends go through life with the glass-half-full approach, the world of social media doesn’t come without its fair share of trolling and scrutiny. “I'm easy to hate, to be honest,” says Mo. “Even if I were to see someone that always showed off ‘money stuff’, I’d also end up thinking, ‘Oh, he’s a show off’. But it’s better to be hated than to have people be indifferent towards your work. You want some emotion from people,” says Mo. “Being hated is great. Being loved is great. But being in the middle, where no one cares about you, that’s the worst place to be. So, at least I’m on one side.”

According to the YouTuber, his haters are his biggest fans. “I love my haters, they're my biggest fans. I truly believe that you can't hate someone unless you really love them. If I love you, and you did something that has annoyed me, I can start hating you. So, I think haters are just lovers. I know it sounds silly but if I don't care about you, I can't hate you. This is what I believe,” says Mo.

Hence, the core of his content is always driven by a straightforward approach — doing what he wants to without unnecessary branding. “Sometimes, obviously, people tell me, ‘Maybe you need to brand yourself better’, but why do I need to do that?”

“For example, when I bought my first car, in my head, it was always a dream to take a bag of cash to the showroom and make the payment. As a kid, I thought to myself, ‘Imagine one day, walking into a car showroom with cash’. It was a childhood dream. But when I did that, everyone started hating me, calling me arrogant, but I just felt cool doing it.”

Delving into the darker side of social media, Mo addresses the competitive nature of the business, acknowledging the strong need for resilience. “This is the case with every business. At the end of the day, social media has become a business, right? So, of course, you're going to have competitors; you're going to have people trying to beat you. Either you stay on it, keep grinding, or someone else is going to take your spot.”

When asked if he experiences burnout, with the constant pressure to maintain his top spot, the content creator admits that it is a natural part of the game. “If you work hard at anything, you will succeed. But if you're going to give up, then it’s not meant for you. Imagine you open a business and it fails. Do you just sit back and say, ‘I give up on life’? No, you try again. So, try again.”

Sharing the best piece of advice he’s received from a mentor, Mo adds, “If your chance of success is one percent, try 100 times. So even if you fail 99 times, on the 100th time, you will succeed. Even with YouTube, I failed my gaming channel, but my vlog channel worked out. I was lucky on the second try, but it could have been on the 100th try.”

somya@khaleejtimes.com