The Power of the Hashtag

The hashtag is a universal tool used to spread information around the internet. Hashtags on social media are so frequently used that many do not think twice about adding it to any social media post. But where did it come from? And how is it being used today compared to use of it in the past? With the growth of content on social media, the knowledge of hashtags will only benefit the social media marketing used today. 

 

Where did the hashtag come from and why is it called a hashtag and not a pound sign? 

Originally, the hashtag was used in 1988 in an internet chat that used the hashtag to group messages and content together that were similar. Stowe Boyd was the first person to publicize the use of the word, said that the word hashtag came from a programmer perspective. His coworkers would use the word hash and from there, the pound sign became a hashtag when discussing social media matters.  

In the world of social media, the first use of the hashtag was in a Twitter post in August of 2007. Chris Messina wrote the original tweet and there were many mixed reactions. Twitter did not even have a hashtag component in the time of the post. When there were wildfires in San Diego later that year, Messina saw it as a way for people to recognize the hashtag. He noticed that those that were tweeting about the fire used the hashtag within their tweets. He reached out to them and urged them to continue, thus lighting the way for the hashtag to become one of the most useful tools when grouping information together. Those tweets became so popular that Twitter began to use hashtags themselves and added a hashtag function in 2009. Now they have a column specifically used for trending hashtags. 

Since then, hashtags on social media have been added to every platform layout or had it built into the app when it was released. Instagram was created in 2010 and came with the hashtag feature while Facebook added it in 2013. 

 

What is it used for?  How does it work? How has it changed over the years? 

Hashtags are used for grouping, connecting, promoting, and spreading awareness. It is a multipurpose tool that everyone can use for their own purposes. It started as a way to group posts together in order to get more information. What the hashtag does is categorize posts that are tagged with the same hashtag. For example, if someone wanted to know more about the San Diego fires, they would click on the hashtag #SanDiegofires (or what hashtag is being used) and automatically be directed to a page with all the posts with that hashtag. It has gone from a simple grouping tool to a way for businesses to promote and connect an audience.

Businesses can use a hashtag to get people more involved with their product or service. For example, many businesses do giveaways on social media that end in a grand prize. The rules for entering the giveaway are usually the same: the participant must tag a certain amount of people, follow a number of accounts, and post a picture with the specific hashtag to be considered. The hashtag will let the company look at all the photos tagged, making it easier to see who followed the rules and who has entered into the competition. This is just one of the ways businesses use the hashtag on social media to grow their company. 

Hashtags are an easy way to connect and grow a personal following as well. For example, if you post a picture of a bird and post it with the hashtag #bird, anyone that is looking at the #bird will be directed to your post. In addition for personal use, hashtags on social media have been used to spread awareness of certain movements. For example, with Coronavirus circling, many have started to use the hashtag, #stayathome to spread awareness about the virus and show they are at home in quarantine. 

 

 

Are hashtags efficient?  

Hashtag efficiency is a heavily debated topic. Since they have become so popular, it is easy for people to use the hashtag in ways that the hashtag is not intended to be used in. For example, on TikTok, hashtags are used for trending topics, dances, or keywords that will boost a post. It doesn’t matter if it is an advertisement hashtag or any random word, many people that are trying to get more views on TikTok will use whatever hashtag is trending. They do this because people will click on the hashtag and see their video since the hashtag is popular. If a business wanted to advertise a project and their hashtag was trending, they may see photos or videos that do not have anything to do with their campaign. This might upset the outcome of the advertisement. 

 

 

Making a hashtag specific is very important when making a hashtag efficient. If a company uses a hashtag with a basic word, the posts will be clogged with unrelated photos. For example, if Galaxy Theatres used the hashtag #movie to begin a giveaway, the posts in that hashtag would be filled with random posts that have nothing to do with the giveaway. By using a more specific hashtag such as  #GalaxyMovieTheatresGiveaway, the posts will be directed towards what they are trying to advertise. 

Hashtags, when used right, are a great way to expand an audience, spread awareness, and promote a post. They are used on almost every posted advertisement on social media and for good reason; they group and expand a viewing like no other.