One of the most popular means of communication and spreading information around the globe is by means of social media. Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and many other social media applications have overtaken the means by which people have communicated in the past such as the television, radio, and telephonic conversations. Not that these are not used to the present day, but they have been replaced by the kind of trending communication present only on social media applications. People tend to communicate in short, terse phrases, selective jargon and use different methods to convey a message, which then trends on social media. A trend which has gained much popularity in social media is the use of hashtags, especially starting from Twitter and pervading other application thereon. Hashtags are used on Twitter and other social media applications to insert a particular keyword in the message so that it can be singled out and easily searched for, which makes using social media pretty convenient for users.
Often, people like commenting on events or happenings which are taking place live. This can be difficult provided everyone not free at one particular time or that texting can become arduous and irritating at one point and time. Elderly people who are new to the world of social media often get baffled at the sight of #whyislifesohard and think it is rather disastrous for the country’s language and minds of individuals using these hashtags because they offer a shortened form of writing which lacks punctuation or spacing and can seem very informal (Kricfalusi). The world of Twitter is one which is full of such hashtags and can be difficult for the unaware person to grab a full understanding of at first glance. Perhaps the easiest way to phrase their use is to refer to them as keywords, which provide information on some trending topic.
The initial spread of the use of Hashtags began with Twitter, but it spread to Instagram and Facebook as well. Social media has helped people connect with each other readily and very intimately as well. While older people consider newspapers and television as the essential providers of detailed and proper information, it is also true that in the present day not many people have the time to read the paper. Moreover, the paper is always published a day after the incident which makes the news sort of outdated as it was not reported at the exact time, date and location. Social media is powered by the internet which is available electronically all around and at all times. The different means of communication like cell phones, laptops and tablets all get connected to the internet. People are able to communicate on these using the hashtag which is the minimalist use of words which form a keyword on a trending topic, and people are able to catch the latest happenings through them (Lang).
While many might think the hashtag is a new phenomenon in the world of social media, it is also true that it has been around since 2007 when the developer of Twitter, Chris Messina suggested that Twitter could start to begin a trend of grouping certain topics topic if the hash ‘#’ symbol was used in the tweets. Initially, even this idea was dropped as it seemed unproductive. But its first use was made by journalists when they used the hashtag #SanDiegoFire which made them tweet the updates on the forest fires, and people could simply click on the hashtag and find out the latest updates (LePage). This started off the trend of hashtagging in the world of social media where every single event was tagged in the hashtags and turned into a link.
Basically, when a user places a ‘#’ symbol before a word or certain words, without any space in between, they can create a link which either turns into a bold blue or black color, depending on which social media site it is used on. A hashtag can be used for virtually any topic under discussion, and it can trend on for as long as a user likes. Usually, people who initiate or start the chain for the hashtag make one up, which is then shown on the trending news on Twitter or other social media like Facebook or Instagram. Another person can then provide their own feedback about certain news by using the same hashtag or a different but associated one such as #AMAs or #AMAs14 (hashtags for American Music Awards ’14). It depends on the users’ choice, however, either way, the news will show up with the hashtag since they carry the similar keywords. It is not possible to use punctuation marks such as #AMAs! since this will not show up as a bold link. It is possible for many users new to the trend, to confuse the ‘#’ with the ‘@’ symbol. The ‘@’ symbol which is typed before a person’s name will result in sending a tweet to that person directly who will then alert them about this as well, for example, @realDoanldTrump or @ConnectLab. Therefore the two of them should not be confused with one another, and their use should be taken note of (LePage).
The hashtag does not necessarily need to be made after following another person rather it can be anything random. Some people can come up with very short hashtags while others can make up long ones, for instance, #smh (shaking my head) or #Longhashtagsareannoying. Either way, since there are millions of social media users all around the globe, it is possible that hashtags may match and relate with one another and opening one might take it to a different perspective than what was designed by a person for themselves. This makes the process of using hashtags fun and innovative moreover they make social media interesting. One might also come across certain hashtags which are very frequent and popular such as #tbt or #fbf which stand for Throwback Thursday and Flashback Friday, respectively. The point for using these is when an older picture is used as a tweet or post, a person chooses to use either of the above two hashtags. There are others also which proclaim promoting or reaching out for popularity like #shoutout whereby more people tend to come across that post or that person (Brooks). Shoutouts are meant to increase popularity amongst a person’s followers on social media.
On the other hand, certain hashtags can be used to express emotions or how one feels about a certain thing such as one after reading a book where a person might appraise the book by adding the hashtag #mustread, or they might show the same sentiment for a certain product like makeup material or others and type the hashtag #musthave, to show its importance. Some people can also type hashtags to show their emotions about things such as #smh (shaking my head) or #blessed to reveal happiness. A hashtag can be literally anything written in that manner, which shows anything relevant to the typed post. However, irrelevant hashtags can be confusing for the readers, and they might be misinforming as well. A proper way of understanding their use is by watching people use hashtags and then follow the links as to where they open so their use and buildup can be understood (Lang). This means that it is a very easy trend to follow, and it can be very addictive as well because some people are so used to branding and revealing what they are wearing or shopping, that they tend to hashtag the items for the world to know.
This brings forward the other aspect of hashtags which is branding and business. Many businesses are fond of using hashtags such as #Armani or #Gucci, and this helps to establish the popularity of these brands. Almost every entity of importance is given a hashtag, and it makes use of it for popularity sake. Hashtags draw the attention of the people; they promote businesses and ideas and help spread them around as well. Moreover, it is easier to reach the target audience with the help of hashtags. Research has also shown that people who make more use of hashtags are able to engage with more people and develop a better circle, as compared to those who do not use them on social media (Hiscott).
Society as a whole feels more connected with the use of hashtags. There are many who feel that using them is a disruption of normal text or they seem annoying as everyone uses them, however, there are some pertinent ones, and most of them are very informative as well. Research is boosted with their use and it is easier to find one’s way around social media with the hashtags especially if a person has been out of touch with the news. Trending hashtags keep a person up to date with the latest happenings and events and allows them to provide their input as well (Hiscott). They serve a multitude of purposes such as add humor to posts, help to show a person’s wit, for example, #Longhashtagsareannoying and also aid in finding certain posts immediately. Celebrities use hashtags all the time. Hence it makes it easier to track their lives and events. Recently, it was seen in the election times how Hillary used the ‘#imwithher’ hashtag and supporters used it if they voted for her. Therefore, it was easy to spot her supporters from amongst the crowd in fact if anyone did vote for her, it became obvious.
Hence, amongst the myriad of trends emerging in social media in the present day, the use of hashtags is one which might seem strange to new users. Placing the ‘#’ symbol before certain words provide a link to the message which is read by users and it can be searched for very easily on the trending posts on Twitter or other social media like LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram and others. The hashtag is related to the event under discussion or any certain emotion or feeling. Popular events and posts are used for hashtags, and they have become representative of trending events. Their use adds to the interest, creativity, and innovation in the use of social media.
Works Cited
Brooks, Rich. Hashtags explained: The complete guide to Hashtags in social media. 19 Dec. 2014. Web. 1 Jan. 2017. http://www.takeflyte.com/hashtags-explained
Hiscott, Rebecca. The beginner’s guide to the Hashtag. Mashable, 1 Oct. 2013. Web. 1 Jan. 2017.http://mashable.com/2013/10/08/what-is-hashtag/#RvLafDtFlPqk
Lang, Nico. 29 current fads we’ll laugh at Twenty years from now. Thought Catalog, 23 Sept. 2013. Web. 1 Jan. 2017.http://thoughtcatalog.com/nico-lang/2013/09/29-current-fads-well-laugh-at-twenty-tears-from-now/
LePage, Evan. “The do’s and don’ts of how to use Hashtags.” Events. Hootsuite Social Media Management, 27 Aug. 2014. Web. 1 Jan. 2017. https://blog.hootsuite.com/how-to-use-hashtags/
Kricfalusi, Elizabeth. Tech for Luddites, 7 Nov. 2016. Web. 1 Jan. 2017. http://techforluddites.com/hashtag/
