Don't we all use hashtags regularly on different social media platforms?
We have been using these hashtags for a long time now and got familiar with it.
Now we don't feel surprised on seeing them. But there was a time when hashtags were not popular.
Here, I am going to tell you about how this hashtag trend started and why.
Let me first introduce you to this symbol #.
For decades the hashtag symbol was more commonly referred to as the pound sign (while others see it as the all-too-familiar crisscrossing lines used to play tic-tac-toe).
In recent years, this seemingly ordinary symbol evolved into greater significance in a modern world slowly but surely being dominated by social media.
The proliferation and use of hashtags have grown to tremendous popularity that the use of this symbol have become associated or even synonymous to trends and discussions in social media.
Tagging keywords, phrases and other strings of texts and letters are what social media users do to track topics and conversations – and provide the ability to other users as well.
How it all started. (#HowItAllStarted)
While the pound sign, a.k.a hashtag, was already in common use decades ago, the use of this symbol as a metadata element for tracking words is really not a new technology or practice.
Back in the good old days of the IRC or Internet Relay Chat, hashtags were already used to categorize items like images, messages, video and other content into groups.
The same principle holds true with the use of hashtags in social media, and their use grew in popularity when it was first introduced on Twitter by Chris Messina.
The date was August 23, 2007 and Chris brought attention to hashtags with his tweet: “how do you feel about using # (pound) for groups. as in #barcamp [msg]?”
The term “hash tags” however, officially originated from Stow Boyd’s blog post in August of 2007.
It was later in July 2009 when Twitter formally adopted the use of hashtags into code, automatically hyperlinking terms appended with the # sign.
A year later, the term “trending” and “trending topics” became highly associated with social media when Twitter began highlighting hashtags on its homepage based on their popularity.
Social Media Platforms that use hashtags(#HashtagOnSocialPlatforms)
The following provides you a list of these social networks and some basics on how each network make use of hashtags and how you can apply them to your digital marketing campaign.
Twitter
Twitter of course is where hashtags became first used and where it is still very prevalent. They provide a remarkable tool for delivering highly targeted brand messages for brands and businesses using Twitter for social media marketing.
Facebook
It took a while for Facebook to catch on the hashtag craze, even after they incorporated its use back in June 2013. Just like with Twitter, Facebook provides a unique URL for each hashtag you and your targeted audiences can click on and get connected with.
Pinterest
Pinterest is a fast growing social network that has already joined the hashtag bandwagon. It enables users to search for topics using particular hashtags.
Instagram
Instagram is another social network a steadily growing number of users are going gaga about and is one that is making use of hashtags to provide businesses with an effective tool for influencing and creating brand followers. Hashtags make your Instagram photos discoverable by targeted audiences, otherwise your photos will just remain private.
Google+
Even Google is jumping into the hashtag bandwagon, providing a way for your Google+ posts to get better results in search engine results pages. When users click on a Google+ hashtag, the results will return not only the original hashtag post but other posts tagged with the same hashtag.
Hope this article helped you to know about the origin of the hashtag trend and its presence in present times.
Do let us know if you have any queries by commenting down below. Thank You.
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