My Take On Hashtags

The wonderful world of social media has brought about the era of Hashtivism.  When I first started using hashtags, it was for a comedic twist in my tweets/post.  I progressed to using hashtags that would group my post (such as pictures on Instagram) with similar posts.  To elaborate,  #cobalthoes is a hashtag used by Cobalt SS owners who wish to share posted pictures of their car with fellow Cobalt SS owners. 

During our class discussion via chatroom, it seemed that a common critique was that Hashtags are not the best tools for activists trying to get their message across for it did not help the true cause.  While there may be a portion of the audience who does not get the full message, I believe the hashtag is still accomplishing what it was used for – attention.  Hashtags are just another form of communication, except they work somewhat like bridges, creating a forum on a specific topic with a universal link with easy access to all.  One cannot expect to bring attention to something, explain it, and solve it all in one step… we all know the human species is not that simple.

I also believe hashtags are being used more commercially then as a tool for activists.  Companies can pretty much have free advertisement with hashtags.  An example of this is when they suggest “Upload your tweet/post with the hashtag #tacobell for your chance to win a liftetime supply of tacos.”   We’re constantly seeing ‘sponsored’ posts come along on our feed with their own hashtags creating yet another ‘virtual literal sphere’ in which their company is the focal point. 

A literal sphere can be looked at as, in the simplest of ways, a group of people who have own read the same book.  They have identified the central claim and thus can convey their own interpretations and so on.  By ‘virtual literal sphere’ I mean the idea of gathering multiple individuals in a community (in this case located on the web) where they can share their ideas on a similar concept.  I bet if you scrolled through #TacoBell not every post would be a positive one in terms of how the user felt towards the fast food company.  The hashtag is still doing what it was meant to do, get a lot of attention on Tacobell.

This idea of attracting attention is vital for companies who basically survive only because of the internet.   Many online companies such as the one I write for, Technologytell.com, depend on hashtags to increase the websites traffics.  Popular hashtags equates to more views which leads to more money from sponsors wishing to advertise on the page.  It also is great for new businesses trying to gain acknowledgement both on and off the web.  A recent example of this would be the newly released buffalo chicken balls at the Bloomsburg fair.  The simple hashtag ‘#buffalochickenballs’ in a post about the fair is enough to spark interest in most  people who plan on attending.  One could make an argument that an increase in the amount of times the hashtag was used is proportionate to the revenue of the stand.  Does the hashtag specify exactly what the product is? No, but it captures attention which is enough to make a difference.