By now, most of us know what hashtags look like. We may not know exactly what they do, but if you’re on social media, you’ve most certainly seen a hashtag. Or, at least, now you have.
The hashtag functions as a simple way to share content. When a hashtag is used, keywords or phrases become searchable for other users of the same social network, such as Twitter, Instagram, and now Facebook.  You can “hashtag” a word, phrase, person, event, or… really anything you want.  For example, on Twitter, during the past NBA Finals games, I “tweeted”, “yo mama’s as ugly as a Tim Duncan fast break #nbafinals.” Now, anyone who is searching #nbafinals on Twitter can see what I, among thousands of others, was saying before the Heat (unfortunately) won their second title with LeBron.Here is a little background info:

It’s an easy concept as well as a great tool.  It allows users to see what other people are talking about and/or to see what is trending around the world in general. Until now, Facebook had yet to incorporate hashtags into their site. So, what took them so long?

Did they not want to succumb to Twitter’s brilliant idea? Is it a privacy issue? Is everyone who works at Facebook stuck in a Zuckerberg Colony in Silicon Valley where The Zuck, himself, shields his employees from any other form of social communication?!

I’m not sure, but it’s here now and we will just have to wait to see if it’s here to stay!

Your friend,

#Dylan