Today's Edition
DUBAI (WAM)
In a session titled “Top Trends in 2025 on X” held at the 1 Billion Followers Summit, Antoine Caironi, the Managing Director of X in the MENA region, explored the transformative trends shaping the creator economy on X in 2025.
He also shared his insights into the platform's evolution and strategies for engaging audiences, building deeper connections, monetising businesses, and staying ahead in a dynamic digital landscape.
The session was held during the third edition of the 1 Billion Followers Summit, the world’s largest summit dedicated to the content creator economy.
Organised by the UAE Government Media Office, the summit is being held in the UAE from January 11 to 13, 2025 at Dubai’s Emirates Towers, Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC), and the Museum of the Future under the theme “Content for Good.”
It brings together over 15,000 content creators and influencers, more than 420 speakers, and 125 CEOs and global experts.
Caironi praised the UAE’s investment in its digital economy, stating, “The UAE is at the forefront of innovation. Having lived in the UAE for the past 10 years, I have had the privilege to witness this firsthand. What you’re seeing here is nothing less than extraordinary.”
He also highlighted the UAE’s rise as a global hub for innovation in the creative space.
Caironi stated, “At X, we share this passion for innovation. Over the past few years, we have been busy building a platform where the most exciting models are unfolding live in real time in front of us.”
He also highlighted that the most crucial aspect of the platform is the real connection it provides to facilitate the relationship between creators and their audiences.
“This authenticity is truly what sets X apart,” he said.
Reflecting on the top trends of 2025, Caironi noted that there will be three main categories that will dominate conversations on X — sports, fashion, and gaming.
He stated, “All sports are thriving on this platform, from football to tennis to paddle. There were around 2.6 trillion global impressions related to sports conversations last year on X. That is 60,000 impressions every single second. The conversation is massive, and it’s growing.”
Caironi also emphasised that creators on X do not follow trends in the world of fashion, but rather set them.
He stated, “Influencers and designers are coming to X to discover, amplify, and create new styles. Fashion weeks are global events, with some even being live-streamed directly on the platform.”
There were almost two billion impressions related to fashion weeks in Paris and Milan last year, he noted.
“In 2025, X will remain the digital extension of the runway. We expect X to be the place where the audience, the industry, and creators come together to define what fashion is really about,” Caironi stated.
He also highlighted that more than two trillion global impressions were related to gaming in 2024, with four million impressions recorded every single minute.
He highlighted the two main ways that X can be leveraged by gamers to engage with their audiences in 2025: new game releases and live streaming.
Caironi also shared the various tools that creators can use to elevate their content and grow their reach in 2025.
He stated, “One of the most exciting innovations we’ve brought to the table is Grok, the AI assistant available on X. It can give you ideas for content, analyse industry trends, analyse your audience, and fact-check.”
He also referred to other tools and programmes that can help creators, such as Radar, subscriptions, creator revenue-sharing programmes, and Amplify.
Caironi stated, “One of our superpowers is our audience. They are not spectators, but are actually engaged and looking for meaningful connection, especially since X is a digital extension of what's happening in the now.”
The session was attended by Sheikh Rashid bin Humaid Al-Nuaimi, the Chairman of Ajman Municipality and Planning Department; Maryam Al Hammadi, Minister of State and Secretary General of the UAE Cabinet; Saeed Al Eter, Deputy Minister of Cabinet Affairs for Strategic Projects and Chairman of the UAE Government Media Office; Khalfan Belhoul, CEO of the Dubai Future Foundation; and Alia AlHammadi, Vice Chairperson of the UAE Government Media Office and CEO of the 1 Billion Followers Summit.
