Hashtags are probably one of the strangest things to come from the online generation. Whenever I mention them to someone who has not ever seen one before, they usually stare at me like I am speaking another language. Most of us who have ever been on Facebook, or especially Twitter, likely would recognize a hash tag. According to Urban Dictionary, the de facto dictionary of user-generated definitions, a hash tag is “a way for people to search tweets that have a common topic and begin a conversation.” Hashtags have now evolved to basically be a restatement of a person’s status update. Oftentimes, they have a slightly humorous tone to them as well. Furthermore, hashtags do not have any set rules about proper punctuation or spacing.
For instance, if I were to update my Facebook status on Sunday night as “Man, I really need to start my homework…” I could add a hashtag at the end of it by saying #secondsemestersenior. Translation: it is likely I am not going to get any homework done tonight.
Hashtags appear even more frequently on Twitter. If Lady GaGa were to perform and start yet another controversy, many people would take to Twitter and discuss the matter by including some form of #LadyGaGa. Twitter then posts these hashtags in what is referred to as “Trending.” Essentially, this is a live feed of what people on Twitter are discussing.
While this may seem silly, the influence of hashtags has begun to percolate its way into mainstream society. In fact, Twitter integration was built right into the newest iPhone devices instead of being downloaded in a standalone app, and Whenever a user tweets something from their device, the # key is prominently displayed next to the space bar, urging users to add one.
Despite the growing popularity of hashtags, countless times, I have seen people post statuses on Facebook complaining about the use of hashtags on the site. Oftentimes, these people say in their status updates that hashtags belong on Twitter only. For many Facebook users, the consensus is clear: Facebook should be a hashtag free zone.
Regardless of how hashtags are being used on social networking sites, many people have come to accept that they are slowly becoming part of the new online slang. Personally, I have begun to use hashtags in everyday conversation, despite the fact that I am not a Twitter user. If I had to guess, I would say I use hashtags at least three to four times a day. I, along with many others, tend to reserve them for comedic effect when having a conversation online with someone or texting them. Some one says something weird? #awkward.
Hashtags, however silly and sometimes annoying they may be, allow creative people in the online world to express themselves through humor. Once you start using hashtags, it becomes rather difficult to stop, as I have found to be the case. They also tend to allow people to over-share their ideas in a hard to read way, which is why some find them annoying. Overall, it seems as if hashtags are here to stay for a while, changing the way we communicate yet again. #morethanjustanumbersign