Dubai is often portrayed online as either a luxurious dreamscape or a dystopian symbol of late-stage capitalism. These extremes overlook the city’s complexity however. Influencing is state-regulated, shaping the curated image many see online, yet everyday life in Dubai includes mundane routines, a strong sense of safety, and strict social norms. While reforms have aimed to improve migrant labor conditions, challenges remain. Ultimately, these binary narratives reveal more about outsiders’ need for ideological clarity than the city itself. Dubai is not easily categorized—it’s a city shaped by ambition, control, and contradiction, resisting simple definitions of utopia or dystopia.

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