TOBY SHAPSHAK: Happy birthday to the hashtag
Twitter laughed off the idea of using the symbol when it was first suggested, and now it’s a global internet phenomenon
Just over 11 years ago a small word that is now a part of our cultural firmament entered the global internet lexicon — "hashtag". It was first used on August 23 2007 by Chris Messina, who tweeted: "How do you feel about using # (pound) for groups. As in #barcamp [msg]?" Amazingly, when he suggested it to Twitter he was told that the idea was for "nerds" and "would never catch on". So he started the idea small, and it went viral all on its own. When wildfires broke out in San Diego in October 2007, he asked a friend who was tweeting about it to add #sandiegofire, and it took off … like wildfire. "That other people emulated him in real time during those fires gave me a sense that this could work," Messina told CNBC earlier this year. "It turned out that lots of people wanted to have their voices heard and to participate in a global conversation." Now about 125-million hashtags are used on Twitter every day, and in 2014 it was added to the Oxford English Dictionary. It’s used by Facebo...
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Subscribe now to unlock this article.
Support BusinessLIVE’s award-winning journalism for R129 per month (digital access only).
There’s never been a more important time to support independent journalism in SA. Our subscription packages now offer an ad-free experience for readers.
Cancel anytime.
Questions? Email helpdesk@businesslive.co.za or call 0860 52 52 00. Got a subscription voucher? Redeem it now.