The hashtag. It is extremely integrated into the world of social media today but how did it start? Where did it come from? Where do you think is the most popular place to use one? I vote for Twitter. So, why are hashtags so prominent with this microblogging giant?
The History of the Hashtag
The history of the Twitter hashtag started on August 23th, 2007, just one year after Twitter was founded. On that day, Chris Messina posted a Tweet that said “How do you feel about using # (pound) for groups? As in #barcamp [msg]?”
Chris Messina
Messina wrote two blog posts (1 & 2) on August 25th of that year detailing his idea of the hashtag. The idea was to organize tweets into groups. Fast forward to today where hashtags are embraced worldwide as a way to classify user’s thoughts and trends on Twitter as well as an assortment of other social media sites such as Instagram, Facebook, and Google+.
Many people were interested in having a type of group messaging feature on Twitter, which is why Messina started to develop the idea of the hashtag. However, he made it clear that he was interested in creating a way to easily eavesdrop while using Twitter, not group message. Messina wanted to improve “contextualization, content filtering, and exploratory serendipity,”
Hashtags.org
Only a few months after the development of the hashtag, Cody Marx Bailey and Aaron Farnham launched hashtags.org. This may seem insignificant as far as the history of the hashtag goes. However, hashtags.org now tracks all of the hashtag activity for Twitter. The site even claims to be “the defacto standard for hashtag information.” Bailey and Farnham went their separate ways not long after. During this time, Michael Cyger, who is the current owner, purchased the domain.
The Hashtag Struggle
Chris fought for the popularity of the hashtag. In the beginning, people hated them. Messina said that the biggest complaint was the way they looked. The main struggle was the fact that the 
Twitter team didn’t care for his idea. Twitter co-founder, Even Williams even told Chris that hashtags were too nerdy to go mainstream. So, Messina had to prove that they could become popular on his own.
A very important quote by Messina states, “Used sparingly, respectfully, and in appropriate measure, I think the value generated from the use of hashtags is substantial enough to warrant their continued use.” Let’s focus on how he used the word “sparingly.” This means that Tweets should not be filled with hashtags. In fact, studies have shown that using more than two drops engagement by 17%.
The Hashtag Today
Just like social media and Twitter specifically, the hashtag has greatly evolved. What remains the same is that users are still controlling the different ways to use them, just as they did in the beginning.
Top 3 Twitter Hashtags
It is only fitting to talk about the top 5 Twitter hashtags of 2013. They may surprise you.
- #SB47 and #Superbowl
- #Oscars
- #BostonStrong (Following the Boston Marathon bombings)
Top 5 Instagram Hashtags
The second most popular place to use hashtags is on Instagram. They are used in almost every picture’s description, although they did not originate on the social media app. So, what are the most popular ones for the picture sharing app? According to this site, these are the top 5; however the list updates every 5 seconds.
- #Love: 606 million
- #Instagood: 277 million
- #me: 262 million
- #tbt: 231 million
- #follow: 228 million
Do you love or hate the hashtag? What are some that have caught your attention? Leave your thoughts in the comment section below!
Written by Rebecca Rinke. She can be found on Facebook, Linkedin, and Unscriptid.
The post An Inside Look at the History of the Hashtag appeared first on Unscriptid: The World's First Nonprofit, Social Media Giving Platform.
