Hashtag

If Goebbels were alive today, he would have fucking owned the internet

Hashtags are a word or phrase without spaces prefixed with a hash symbol (also known as a number or pound sign), used to tag messages, images and videos. This internet phenomenon was popularized on Twitter, a microblogging service, and later spread to Facebook and other social media networks.

#Trending

Emerging trends may be identified by monitoring the usage of hashtags, when one becomes popular enough, it is known as trending. Justine Sacco was a public relations executive who made a #racist tweet in late 2013 just before she left for Africa; news of her remark spread and within hours #HasJustineLandedYet was trending worldwide. She was #unemployed before the plane landed 12 hours later. Oops.

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Moar info: Justine Sacco.

#hashtagfails

Some of the most infamous hashtags came from Twitter accounts managed by people who's minds are not in the gutter. The problem with that is the internet is swarming with warped minds, and they are quick to spot alternative meanings to acronyms and unintended phrases because someone failed to capitalize certain letters. Given the nature of microblogs and social media, word travels at a ruthlessly fast pace, here are a handful of funny examples: #nowthatchersdead, #WTFF, #hobbitch, #CLitFest, #rimjobs and #susanalbumparty.

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Bashtags

This is what McDonald's had in mind when it promoted #McDStories.

Businesses are a bunch of lemmings that throw money at the latest trend without really understanding why, as Facebook's popularity soared, marketing went into overdrive in an effort to get people to like and follow them on Facebook. Now history is repeating itself with Twitter, attempts are made to get people to use certain hashtags, but unlike Facebook pages, these can be hijacked by angry customers, resulting in bashtags.

An executive within McDonald's marketing department got the idea to encourage people to share their #McDStories on Twitter, failing to realize that everyone might not have nice things to say about the fast food chain. The hashtag was hijacked, a search for #McDStories generally returns stories and pictures McDonald's doesn't want their customers to see. No amount of advertising can undo the association #McDStories has with fat American children gorging themselves at the restaurant, a clear indication eating there may not be such a healthy idea.

4chan Troll pranks

Anything that becomes popular on the internet will eventually be exploited by trolls and hashtags are no exception to the rule. Successful pranks are often reposted by thousands of unsuspecting users, reported by the media that is gullible and fails to do its homework, and sometimes these creative antics will invoke a response from a well-known celebrity. This is possible due to the viral nature of microblogs and social media, where misinformation travels at the speed of a mouse click.

When Justin Bieber got caught smoking a joint, nobody was surprised, but that didn't stop trolls from pretending to be outraged, posting fake pictures of them cutting themselves in protest. Enough people believed #Cut4Bieber that Justin even got onto Twitter, begging fans not to harm themselves and stating that his lawyers were looking into the incident.

Another prank, #INeedMasculismBecause also originated from /b/, it intended to spark controversy by advocating for men's rights. For a while his backfired when feminists caught wind of the hashtag and hijacked it, resulting in an online tug of war until the dust settled, leaving the trolls to reclaim the hashtag that is mostly dormant now.

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Moar info: #Cut4Bieber.

Hashtag Jamerson

Hashtag Jamerson is the result of parents who spend their lives on Facebook and have absolutely no common sense, and yes that's the name of a baby girl. Quite possibly they hated their unborn child with a burning passionate, so much that a late termination of pregnancy wasn't sadistic enough. No, these two want the pleasure of seeing their daughter getting verbally slaughtered at school on a daily basis, at home she'll be left alone in a small room while they play Farmville. If we're fortunate, Hashtag Jamerson will set out to achieve a new high score in a decade or so.

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Hashtag with Jimmy Fallon & Justin Timberlake

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See also

In beta

• #OccupyWallStreet
• #GamerGate
• #OpKKK
• Justine Sacco
• #Cut4Bieber
• Twitter

External links

Create a shittier pun than this and you could win $5!

Hashtag
#HasJustineLandedYet

• Fails
  • How Not To Twitter: 7 Hashtag Fails To Learn From
  • 5 Unbelievable Hashtag Fails
• 4chan Troll pranks
  • 4chan launches social media campaign in support of the 'bikini bridge'
  • The "bikini bridge," 4chan’s latest prank, is actually pretty dangerous
  • How Twitter turned a hashtag prank into a feminist victory
  • #FollowAnAdult
  • Does Miley Cyrus Have HIV? 4chan Users Start Prank With Hashtag '#CureForMiley'
• Hashtag Jamerson
  • We called our baby Hashtag (or # for short)
  • 2012’s Most Outrageous Baby Names: And Yes, 'Hashtag' Made The Cut
  • Baby Hashtag: has the search for original names gone too far?
• 4 Ways Marketers Can Use Facebook Hashtags
• The Role of #Hashtags in Social Media and Search
• The Beginner's Guide to the Hashtag
  
  

Hashtag is part of a series on Social Media Visit the Social Media Portal for complete coverage.