This year, over 10 million Tweets were monitored about Ramadan in the 30 days leading into the holy month. With Ramadan underway, Twitter launched جمعات_رمضان# (Ramadan Gatherings), a series of live audio conversations focused on reflections around key topics that arise during the holy month, as well as those which have taken centre stage over the past year.
In celebration of Ramadan, Twitter also launched three new hashtag triggered emojis across seven languages; English, Arabic, Malay, Thai, Indonesian, Hindi and Spanish. The جمعات_رمضان# (Ramadan Gatherings) hashtag unlocked a crescent emoji, in addition to the following Arabic and English hashtags:
- رمضان#
- رمضان_كريم#
- رمضان_مبارك#
- جمعات_رمضان#
- #Ramadan
- #RamadanKareem
- #RamadanMubarak
Over the span of five days, the sessions took place on Spaces, Twitter’s new live audio conversations feature that is currently being tested and will become available to everyone soon. Each session covered a core pillar of reflection, including: “Keeping Connected” which discussed the importance of human connectivity during the current pandemic; “Ramadan Nights” which delved into the world of creativity in music during Ramadan; “Audio Literature” which saw authors discuss their latest works, greatest inspirations, and writing processes; “Food Waste” which featured guests who talked about its impact and how to manage it during the holy month; and “Managing Work-Life Balance”, which saw women in the workforce share their learnings from the past year when it comes to work-life balance, in addition to balancing Ramadan and the family traditions that come alongside it.
Hosted by Twitter’s Director of Media Partnerships in MEA & Turkey and moderated by media personality Zeina Soufan, the guests included Saudi author Sultan Al-Mousa (@almousa_su); Kuwaiti novelist Abdul Wahab Al Refai (@Abdul_Alrifaee); Egyptian musician Mohamed Mohsen (@Mohsen); Saudi Social & Behavioral Sciences consultant Mohammed Alhajii (@MidoAlhajji); Egyptian author Mirna El Helbawi (@Mirna_elhelbawi); Saudi content creator Hatoon Kadi (@HatoonKadi); sports coach and health expert Dr Rayan Karkadan (@thedoctorrayan); communication specialist Muath Almusallam (@muath_almosallm); UAE film director Nahla Al Fahad (@NahlaAlFahad); Saudi pianist Daleen Khalid (@pianistdaleen); Saudi media personality Sara Murad (@sara__murad); UAE TV presenter Jasem Alsheheimi (@jasimalsheheimi); Saudi pastry chef Abdulaziz Alhumedan (@aziz_h); Kuwaiti influencer Rawan Bin Hussain (@rbinhussain); UAE content creator Abdullah Raesi (@Abdullah_Raesi); and UAE pianist and opera singer Fatima Alhashmi (@FatiAlhashmi).
Each session tapped into a themed pay it forward action, building on Ramadan’s spirit of generosity. Following Keeping Connected one of the speakers Tweeted personalized uplifting messages to audience members, while a number of listeners from Ramadan Nights were treated to personalized musical pieces composed by one of the artists. Guests of Managing Work-Life Balance also had the opportunity to receive tips and tricks that one of the speakers successfully applied to maintain her own work/life balance. Audio Literature listeners were introduced to the audiobook platform Storytel by the guest authors, while Food Waste listeners were treated to top tricks in eliminating their own food waste.
“Twitter is what’s happening and what people are talking about right now. At a time of introspection, such as Ramadan, people take to the platform to discuss the topics that have influenced and impacted their lives and thinking. With a purpose to serve the public conversation, this year we aimed to amplify those conversations in a unique format for Twitter, elevating our strength in fostering open conversation, connecting people and bringing them together through the unique format of Spaces,” said Kinda Ibrahim, Twitter’s Director of Media Partnerships, MEA & Turkey.
The campaign ended with a unique creation from musician Bandar Mohammad @blvxb inspired by reflections from the campaign.
It’s worth noting that the second Ramadan emoji which Twitter has launched, of a sunset/sunrise, can be unlocked with the below hashtags:
- افطارا_شهيا#
- افطار_رمضان#
- افطار#
- إفطاراً_شهياً#
- إفطار_رمضان#
- إفطار#
- فطور_رمضان#
- فطور#
- سحور#
- سحور_رمضان#
- #IftarRamadan
- #Iftar
- #Suhur
- #SuhurRamadan
- #SuhoorRamadan
- #Suhoor
- #Sahur
- #Suhour
As for the last emoji, the following hashtags will unlock a visual of a lantern:
- فانوس#
- فانوس_رمضان#
- فوانيس_رمضان#
- فوانيس#
- #RamadanLanterns
- #RamadanLantern
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