10 interesting facts about popular hashtag sign “#”
- Popular hashtags initially had a completely different purpose. At first, they were part of a developer vocabulary devised as a concept by Google developer and inventor Chris Messina.
- The 2007 hashtag was first posted on Twitter to help users find interesting content that can be grouped in some way. It was any word that had a # in front of it and represented a specific search term.
- The use of hashtags was a rather ingenious way to coordinate online discussions and find like-minded people and quickly inform them about the desired topic. The hashtag was used more abundantly in 2007 when California was ravaged by fires that many people wrote and read about on social media.
- The hashtag had a bigger spread in 2009 when Twitter added links to all hashtags and enabled search. Soon other platforms took over hashtags which became part of the internet lexicon.
- The social network Instagram was launched in 2010 since it used hashtags. Facebook added hashtags in 2013. Google+, Tumblr, Pinterest have allowed their users to group content using the # tag.
- Today hashtags serve users to read fun content, look at beautiful photos, study recipes but also to change the world and world events.
- Hashtags have been popular on all social networks for several years (#MeToo, #BlackLives Matter, #WomensMarch, etc.). People use socially engaged hashtags out of altruistic motives but also obsession with their personality, secretly hoping for a crowd of fans who will give “likes” to people’s flawless beliefs.
- More about social engagement and the meaning of the term hashtags can be read in the book “The New Science of Narcissism”. The author of the book is Doctor of Psychology and writer Keith Campbell. Dr Campbell says: “We no longer prove our belonging to the elite with our face – now we do it with our beliefs. Socially engaged hashtags are new selfies that seek attention and draw attention to themselves.
- People use hashtags for altruistic motives but also obsession with their personality, secretly hoping for a crowd of fans who will give “likes” to people’s flawless beliefs. Self-obsession still exists in a different form.
- Dr. Campbell says that “narcissistic people engage in politics” to change the world and impose will and ideas and affirm their own power and importance — so sometimes what seems like social justice is actually a side effect of feeding one’s ego, says Dr. Campbell.
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