Instagram users across the region can now celebrate the first day of the holy month in a new way on social media.
Instagram launched its first-ever camera effect designed especially for Ramadan. It was unveiled in a bid to encourage users to share their celebrations online.
The photo-sharing platform has created "Lantern", an effect that adds a glowing, orange-hued filter and Arabesque-inspired crescent shapes to images. Users can move the shapes around the screen with their fingers, and personalise them with English or Arabic greetings associated with the holy month.
Instagram also launched #MonthOfGood, a campaign that will run throughout Ramadan, encouraging users to celebrate the occasion on the app using the hashtag, as well as sharing their acts of kindness.
"Our data shows that Ramadan is a time when people come to Instagram to share their moments of kindness and good deeds – with words associated with charity increasing significantly," said Samer Jamal, Instagram's strategic partner manager in the Mena region.
“Kindness does not have to be a grand gesture. In fact, small and unexpected acts can have a huge impact on someone’s day."
The social-media network also revealed that in 2018, more than 15 million posts were made about Ramadan on the platform, with a rise in captions featuring words such as "donate" and "charity".
