Hashtags. You see them everywhere on social media Instagram, Facebook and especially on Twitter. What is a hashtag? Here is an article that gives a more in depth explanation Hashtag Definition. As said in the article a hashtag once clicked on is a way to search common tweets on that topic. So lets say there was a tweet that said, "I love my mom thanks for being my number one supporter #MotherDay" If you clicked on the hashtag you could see a variety of tweets from different people talking about Mothers Day. This may not seem like a very groundbreaking tool but can such a "special character" hold great value? Or is it just a way for people to feel like they are making a change when they really aren't?
One article Hashtag Activism questioned the power of hashtag. It answered in a little bit yes, a little bit no, a little bit maybe. Well thanks that helps a lot! The article did point out that hashtags can make a difference when it spreads the word of issues and gets people out there trying to make a change. I don't know about you but most people I know just sit around read a issue going on in the world and then continue to scroll past or just make a comment about how they feel. Yes, if it brings the person reading to get up and protest and push towards change then hashtags can bring great difference. But in my opinion hashtags are merely just a way for people to see whats going on in the world and forget about it in a few months.
Twitter is now seen as one of the fastest, if not the fastest, way of news to spread. The way of categorizing tweets by hashtags is also commonly used when a company, person, show, organization etc wants to see the peoples posts on a certain topic. On a news station they could say "Tell us what you think at #FoxNews" and to filter through the tweets they look up the hashtag and can see peoples responses. This has to be the best way the hashtag is used in my opinion. Contests are held in this way on twitter as well as getting celebrities to see your posts. It is a way to communicate with fans by a hashtag search engine.
On the other hand hashtags are seen as a way to poke fun at social media lingo. My mom made me a grilled cheese #blessed. My iPhone 6 slow motion cam isn't working #firstworldproblems. They can be used to exaggerate what the person is tweeting about and just be a funny end to a tweet rather then a way to search for this grand topic.
How do you feel about hashtags? Do you think they have the power to change the world? Have you ever used a hashtag before?
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