9 Interesting Facts About Hashtags

The term “hashtag” was not included in the Oxford Dictionary until June 2014.

Hashtags have become a popular method of tagging content across various social media platforms.

But where did this symbol come from, and how did it become so widely used?

This small symbol has revolutionized the way we connect with each other and the world.

Here are nine fascinating facts about hashtags that you may not know.

The first recorded use of a hashtag online was on August 23, 2007.

Chris Messina was the first person to suggest using hashtags to organize conversations on Twitter.

Unfortunately, Twitter was not interested in the idea at the time, and it was forgotten.

Messina decided to use hashtags anyway to see if it would catch on.

Finally, Twitter caught on, and the hashtag became what it is today.

Messina’s first-ever hashtag was #barcamp.

The hashtag symbol (#) was originally used to mean “pound” or “lb.”

The term “hashtag” used to be associated with the “pound” sign in the United States.

The Latin word for pound weight was “libra pondo,” and in the 14th century, it was shortened to lb.

In the late 1800s, the Blickensderfer model 5 typewriter explained that the “#” symbol could be used for pound weight since there was no “lb” button.

The manual stated that if “#” was placed in front of a word, it referred to a number. But if “#” was placed after a word, it referred to pound weight.

This was the beginning of using “#” to represent weight and numbers.

You cannot patent a hashtag.

Some people wonder why Messina didn’t patent the hashtag, as he could have made millions of dollars.

The answer is that he couldn’t. You can only patent a design, invention, process, or machine.

The hashtag concept or hashtags themselves do not fall into any of these categories.

The only way to own a hashtag is to trademark it.

The “hashflag” feature was introduced in 2010.

Twitter introduced “hashflags” during the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.

This was a temporary feature during the World Cup and was discontinued once the matches ended.

Due to its success, Twitter reintroduced hashflags in 2014 for the World Cup in Brazil.

The system worked by allowing users to tweet the three-letter country code of the 32 participating countries.

Once the code was typed into the hashtag, it would be replaced with the specific country’s flag.

Hashtags have made their way into our food.

In 2014, Bird’s Eye food introduced a new deep-fried potato snack called the “mashtag.”

This was a modernized version of their popular smiley faces that they hoped would appeal to social media users.

The crispy potato shapes included the hashtag symbol and other social media-related symbols.

The word “hashtag” is now recognized in the Oxford Dictionary.

The word “hashtag” was added to the Oxford dictionary in June 2014. According to the dictionary, a hashtag is a word or phrase preceded by the symbol “#” that is used on social media platforms to search for messages with the same subject. In 2015, #Thedress became a viral phenomenon when Caitlin McNeill posted a photo of the dress on Tumblr and asked if it was blue and black or white and gold. The post received 14,000 views per second and sparked a worldwide discussion on social media platforms such as Twitter. Hashtags like #blueandblack and #whiteandgold were used to express how people saw the dress. In March 2019, #TwitterBestFandom broke the world record for the most used hashtag on Twitter in 24 hours, with 60,055,339 tweets. The hashtag was used to vote at the 14th Annual Soompi Awards, which celebrate Korean television, music, and entertainment. In 2021, the most used hashtag on Instagram was #love, which was used to show love to friends, family, colleagues, industries, and businesses. The hashtag, which started as the pound sign on telephone number pads, has become a recognized word due to its excessive use online and in real life. Hashtags have revolutionized the way we communicate and find information on the internet, and it remains to be seen what the future holds for them.

FAQ

1. What is a hashtag and who invented it?

A hashtag is a word or phrase preceded by the # symbol that is used on social media platforms to categorize content and make it easier to find. The hashtag was first invented on Twitter by a user named Chris Messina in 2007. He suggested using the symbol to group discussions on a particular topic and it quickly caught on.

2. How many hashtags should you use in a post?

While there is no set rule for the number of hashtags to use in a post, it is generally recommended to use no more than 2-3 relevant hashtags per post. Using too many hashtags can make your post look spammy and decrease engagement.

3. Can you trademark a hashtag?

Yes, it is possible to trademark a hashtag if it is being used to promote a brand or product. However, it can be difficult to obtain a trademark for a hashtag as it needs to meet certain criteria, including being unique and not too generic.

4. What is the most popular hashtag of all time?

The most popular hashtag of all time is #love, which has been used in over 1.5 billion posts on Instagram alone. Other popular hashtags include #instagood, #photooftheday, and #tbt (throwback Thursday).

5. Can you use emojis in a hashtag?

Yes, you can use emojis in a hashtag to make it more visually appealing and stand out. However, it is important to make sure the emoji is relevant to the content and not offensive.

6. What is the purpose of a branded hashtag?

A branded hashtag is a hashtag that is unique to a particular brand or company and is used to promote their products or services. The purpose of a branded hashtag is to increase brand awareness, encourage user-generated content, and create a sense of community among the brand’s followers.

Zayn Anderson

Zayn Anderson is a prolific writer with a passion for uncovering the world’s intriguing facts. Armed with an insatiable curiosity, he delves into various subjects, from history and science to nature and technology.