By Missed Instagram’s fire takeover this Ramadan? We got you, bae! Read on for everything Instagram’s Sabrina had to say as she answers YOUR burning questions. Labeling her work as a mix of data science and storytelling, Sabrina tells us about everything under the sun, from the Muslim community in Silicon Valley, to how she uses Instagram to shape her Muslim identity, and even how YOU could land a job at Instagram!
What’s the Muslim community like at Facebook/Instagram and in Silicon Valley tech generally?
I’ve been really grateful at Instagram/Facebook to find allies, friends and coworkers that support me in my Muslim identity. Company-wide, there’s a Muslim group, where people can come together, break fast together, among other things. I’ve had a great experience and feel really lucky!
What’s your favorite mosque and why?
I have to give a shoutout to the mosque I grew up going to, which is the Islamic Center of Southern California in LA. If you’re ever in LA, you should definitely check it out. It’s super inclusive, awesome and wonderful—I love it!
What was your favorite project to work on at IG?
Trend of the Month is my current favorite! My job is a mix of data science and storytelling and I get to look at interesting trends and create graphics that we share on our @instagram channel on a monthly basis (like the one below). It’s such a cool part of my job to look into these big cultural moments, events and trends.
Do Muslims becomes more active on IG stories during Ramadan, or are they fatigued?
People come to Instagram to celebrate the moments that matter to them, and they love sharing during Ramadan. Last year, we saw over 15 million feed posts about Ramadan between the first and last days!
How do you use IG to express your Muslim identity?
This year, Instagram launched its first ever Ramadan campaign – #MonthOfGood – which was all about celebrating and sharing acts of good amongst our global community. We also launched a new camera effect, “Lantern”, (see below) so that people could express themselves and share their celebrations in their own way, which I loved using on Eid and before! Outside of Eid, one of my other favorite things on Instagram are the memes! I love finding accounts—especially Muslim-run accounts—that showcase hilarious memes that those of us who grew up Muslim can relate to. I often DM them to friends and family and start fun convos from there.
I’m a data scientist — any tips on how I could work at Insta? Dream job!
First of all — apply! We’re hiring across our offices and for diversity roles. I recommend highlighting your past projects that are relevant and meaningful to the job you’re applying for. For example, when I was in the interview process, I had examples of data stories I had worked on, as well as outlets they were featured in. And — super important— be yourself!
How diverse is Instagram?
So, Instagram is a place for diverse communities from around the world to come together to express themselves. From muslim beauty bloggers to black female gamers, you can literally find your people anywhere on Instagram, which is so cool and I’m really glad to be a part of that.
What’s your favorite movie?
Harry Potter 1!
Edited by Manal Moazzam.
1 comment
Comments are closed.