Hashtags. According to the Cambridge Online Dictionary, they are: (1) the symbol # on a phone or computer keyboard (2) used on social media for describing the general subject of a Tweet or other post. We all know them. Of course, the symbol # existed long before the word hashtag did. Some of us remember when the thing was called a pound sign and could be used as an abbreviation of the word “number”.
My beef isn’t with the symbol. It’s a cute symbol. Easy to produce, fun to look at, and, on a large scale, convenient for playing tic-tac-toe. I’m not even complaining about its use as a hashtag, to describe the general subject of a tweet or post. I move with the times as much as anyone.
No, my complaint today is about its overuse. It pops up everywhere.
People, is it necessary to flag every comment made on social media? Even if no one is even remotely interested in it? Is someone seriously going to search for the hashtag #itallhadtobeexplainedtohim, which is one I saw recently? Or #dontthinkillpickhimuptonight? Another one I saw.
Is this some desperate attempt to get a post noticed by people? Hashtags have to stop.
Seriously.
How about this one? #nooneisinterested
- Russell Proctor http://www.russellproctor.com
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