To say that social media is transforming the world, is stating the obvious. Nonetheless, that is the first thing that comes to mind while looking at the conversations that followed after Snapchat listened to its Muslim users, and featured Mecca on July 14, 2015. The #Mecca_Live initiative, which was live-streaming Ramadan prayers, triggered a global conversation on social platforms, mostly focussed on the religion itself.
The video messaging platform’s philosophy of bringing depth to a story by providing multiple perspectives created a treat for Muslims across the world. At the same time, it gave a first clear inside view of sorts to non-Muslims who cannot travel to Mecca. In many ways, the move to live-stream from the Holy City of Mecca is unprecedented by any technology-led media platform. The streaming attracted more than a million posts on Twitter itself, that were quoting and thanking Snapchat for the endeavor.
Snapchat documented prayers taking place on July 14, 2015 in a 300-second Live story format. The platform curated images and videos coming in from pilgrims in Mecca bringing a first-hand account of what observing Ramadan in Mecca feels like, and the comments and shares from Muslims have continued even after the Snapchat coverage was over. Mecca_Live had in fact begun trending when Snapchat had first announced that it would be covering Mecca in its Live Story feature, that has done well for Snapchat. Snapchat claims that it receives over two billion views a day from its live programming feature.
While the nature of the social posts is another story in itself, the more refreshing aspect was getting an insight into Mecca, and into Islam, that was not colored by a publisher or a professional content creator’s bias. The event is another example of the power of social media where algorithms are replacing editors. As the video and images went viral, news organisations from across the world picked up the story. The point to note was that at best they would be telling a story already told by a social platform.
Needless to say, that Snapchat’s mentions in all #Mecca_Live post added to enhancing the platform’s awareness and resonance in the region significantly.
Arabian Marketer’s Editor-in-Chief, Zeba Mahmud and Sana Mahmud will comment further on the #Mecca_Live story in their columns on July 16, 2015.
In the meanwhile, here are some images that onliners shared on social platforms giving a sense of Ramadan in Mecca, and the impact it had on many others…
