The #Hashtag Revolution

I’ll admit it: The hashtag has become a part of my daily language. Just a few hours ago, I caught myself ending a text message with “#Summer2014”. I’ve read articles upon articles about the #YesAllWomen phenomenon that arose from the recent Isla Vista tragedy in May, and I admit to spamming my Twitter followers with #Suits while watching the show every Thursday.

Hashtags first achieved widespread attention as a means of organizing and disseminating information. Use of metadata tags such as hashtags have been around since the 1980s for the sole purpose of grouping videos, images, websites, and posts into categories. It wasn’t until 2007 that the hashtag achieved its major appearance. That summer, San Diego resident Nate Riddener appended all his posts with #SanDiegoFire to inform audiences of the wildfires that cost the San Diego County $1 billion that year. In July 2009, use of hashtags on Twitter became hyperlinked and categorized, accented by the “Trending Topics” that lists the most popular hashtags on one’s homepage.