15 years using hashtags
15 Years Using Hashtags
Hashtag outspread began by 2007 thanks to Twitter!
Do you remember the first hashtag you used? Do you remember how long ago that was? You most likely don't have that sort of memory and remember that much, but what we do know is when the "trend" of using hashtags started in social media. Last 23 August, the popular "pound sign" used as a tag became 15 years old.
It was 2007 when Twitter made this symbol become popular from being that outdated, people did almost not use it at all. Since then, posts that go around social media have become very popular. From the first #FollowFriday or #TBT, to the most recent ones like #metoo or #blacklivesmatter. By using hashtags people highlight messages or content to give them more visibility in social media or to easily access information related to the topic itself.
However, the pound sign is anything but new. It dates back to the 60s when the asterisk and the pound sign were included in the phones manufactured by the company Bell Laboratories. Later on, in the 70s, its use became more clear and people started using it to highlight words when writing in the IT language C. (Notice the similarities with its current use).
Today it is common for every company or entity to link a hashtag to their content. At Uniway you may recognize a few like #NonStop or #ServicesThatMakeTheDifference
As time went on, they became soon forgotten until in 2007, Chris Messina, IRC user, decided to choose this symbol for chats in Twitter. Messina did not work for Twitter, so at first the fact of adding a pound sign before any words did not work as a link. However he presented the idea to the company, that even if they did not reject it right away, they did not have time to implement it right then. Messina continued developping and using it on his own until 2009, when Twitter then decided to add it as a new feature.
Since then, its use has evolved and become extended both in social media and institutions. Today usually companies or entities relate a hashtag to their content. At Uniway you may recognize some hashtags like #NonStop or #ServicesThatMakeTheDifference
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