hashtag

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The word "hashtag" in the corresponding representation as a hashtag
The request to tweet about the performance under a specific hashtag
A graffito from Occupy Wall Street shows the associated hashtag

A hashtag [ ˈhɛʃtɛk ] or [ ˈhæʃtæɡ ] ( neuter , composed of English hash for the character double cross ["#"] and English tag for marking ) is a keyword with a double cross that is used to post messages with specific content or on specific topics to make it discoverable in social networks. The character string marked in this way functions ( pragmatically ) as a meta tag and meta comment . This type of keywording usually takes place within the running text , whereby a hashtag can also be placed in front of or behind the actual text. Contact networks such as Pinterest , Facebook and microblogging services such as Twitter use this information to make it easier to search for keywords within their network.

A hashtag can also be perceived as in printed encyclopedias: like a designation (catchphrase) explained elsewhere in the same work together with a special character immediately before or after it as an indication of the existence of such a declaration.

Examples

"
  1. Wikipedia is an #encyclopedia "

Here the words Wikipedia and encyclopedia have been marked as hashtags. A search query for Wikipedia would then find targeted articles marked with the hashtag #Wikipedia.

In addition, by specifying a hashtag, it is possible to put a statement in a special context:

"Arrived too late for #BadWeather #Concert"

On Instagram, the "captions" look like this:

"# Instafood # Instaframe # Instamessage # l4l # c4c # f4f # s4s"

etymology

Hashtag is a composition of the words hash and tag , wherein hash to the English word for the double cross is (#) and tag for marking stands. The term hash in Commonwealth English also stands for the pound sign on the telephone keypad . The pound sign is also already used in URLs as a fragment identifier .

From a linguistic perspective, however, it has not yet been clearly clarified whether the hashtag is the pound sign, the character string behind it or the entire character string including the pound sign.

Functions of hashtags

The functions of hashtags are:

  • To give postings individual categories or classifications under which all postings with the hashtag are collected
  • Simplified search for search queries with similar search terms
  • Better sorting and filtering of content by hashtags, which works like filtering by categories and keywords
  • Search engine optimization and social media optimization for a post by using hashtags as keywords
  • Disclosure of location and event data, e.g. B. by the name of the city, the building or the event as a hashtag
  • Tag friends and organizations so that they can be recognized and notified
  • Request for an exchange of interests on a topic named in the hashtag
  • Commitment or call for a social or political action named in the hashtag (e.g. # Je suis Charlie ), reference to an abuse known under a common catchphrase or such a problem (e.g. # GamerGate or # MeToo ) or Assignment to a property or behavior (e.g. #lazy)
  • Analysis of their use as an indicator of the popularity and reach of a topic (trend analysis and social media monitoring )

Origins and establishment on Twitter

The IRC chat system uses the pound sign to mark channel names . The micro-blogging service Twitter picked up on this concept, but only after the suggestion of lawyer and internet activist Chris Messina , who wrote on Twitter on August 23, 2007:

“How do you feel about using # (pound) for groups. As in #barcamp [msg]? "

“What do you think of the use of a # (double cross) for groups. For example # barcamp [message]? "

- Chris Messina

As the awareness of this marking method , which was used, among other things, for Twitter messages about the forest fires in Southern California in 2007 , increased, Twitter reacted and linked all hashtags from July 1, 2009.

The use of hashtags has been controversial since Twitter began offering a search function for hashtags. Alternative Twitter clients automatically link hashtags to a corresponding hit list. By analyzing the hashtags, it can be determined which Twitter topics are particularly popular. These are displayed in the so-called trending topics on the Twitter homepage.

Use on Twitter

properties

Within the internet community there are no rules as to which character strings are used for a hashtag. The character string can consist of letters and numbers, punctuation marks and spaces must not be included.

distribution

Hashtags that have been introduced once are taken up again in the context of the responses to a post, which ensures that the hashtag referred to in this way is established as it becomes known. The hashtag # Aufschrei, for example, made it famous throughout Germany after Twitter user Anne Wizorek introduced it in 2013 as part of a sexism debate. The media used this term as a catchphrase for further coverage of sexism.

Hashtags in other services and media

With the establishment of the hashtag, the advantages of this marking were also used by other services. In July 2011, Messina proposed using the Google+ social network . Google developer Joseph Smart reacted positively to the proposal in principle. In October 2011, Google's Senior Vice President for Social Media, Vic Gundotra , explained in an interview the importance of the hashtag in Google+ real-time search.

In Instagram , Tumblr and Pinterest , hashtags are used by users to tag the pictures they have uploaded. There are also search engines for hashtags. In addition, attempts are made to gain further discussion aspects at events with a Twitter wall .

LinkedIn introduced the hashtags in February 2013. Here, by clicking on a marked word, you can perform a search that references the data of the person using it. A search for the word depending on group, age, location or contact path is possible.

Since mid-June 2013, Facebook has also adopted hashtags.

reception

In France, the French term mot-dièse should be used instead of the word hashtag, according to an announcement by the General Commission for Terminology and New Word Formation . The American Dialect Society has declared hashtag the word of the year 2012 .

The campaign based on the Twitter hashtag #aufschrei received an honorable mention in May 2013 at the Marlies Hesse Young Talent Award and the Grimme Online Award .

The symbol # was the word of the year 2014 for Switzerland.

Online services or software that use hashtags

music

The trio Y-Titty dedicated the hashtag to the hashtag together with the rapper MC Fitti in 2014 the song of the same name #Hashtag .

See also

Audio contributions

Web links

Wiktionary: Hashtag  - explanations of meanings, word origins, synonyms, translations
Commons : Examples of hashtags  - album with pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Hashtag, that or that. In: duden.de . Retrieved March 25, 2020 .
  2. ^ Corrections.de: The or that hashtag? , accessed July 17, 2013.
  3. ↑ Glossary e-teaching.org: hashtag , German, accessed on July 17, 2013.
  4. ↑ Twitter's Secret Handshake . In the New York Times online, accessed February 1, 2013. Linguist Jacob Eisenstein described the hashtag use as a kind of meta-annotation.
  5. ↑ Fabian Schudy: form and function of hashtags on social networks. Linguistic Analysis. Marburg, Büchner 2019, ISBN 978-3963171468 , p. 33 f.
  6. ↑ Woozer | Hashtags for Facebook ( memento from September 21, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) . Woozer. Article about the introduction of the hashtag on Facebook.
  7. ↑ Fabian Schudy: form and function of hashtags on social networks. Linguistic Analysis. Marburg, Büchner 2019, ISBN 978-3963171468 , p. 15
  8. ↑ Twitter / chrismessina. Twitter , accessed January 31, 2013 .
  9. ↑ Helping People Everywhere Through the San Diego Fires Call for hashtags to be used for news about the 2007 Southern California wildfires , accessed January 31, 2013
  10. ↑ The Death of # on Twitter ( Memento from February 10, 2010 in the Internet Archive )
  11. ↑ twitter-trends.de ( Memento from January 19, 2013 in the Internet Archive )
  12. ^ Twitter Help Center , accessed February 1, 2013
  13. ↑ # outcry on Twitter: "Men don't even notice everyday sexism" . Spiegel Online , January 25, 2013, accessed January 31, 2013
  14. ↑ Hashtags for Google+. In: zdnet.de. Retrieved January 25, 2013 .
  15. ↑ hashtag creator brings his idea to Google+. In: cnet.com. Retrieved January 25, 2013 .
  16. ↑ LinkedIn Quietly Launches #Hashtag Support & Search at examiner.co, accessed on February 26, 2012 (English)
  17. ↑ Facebook introduces hashtags . Spiegel Online , accessed July 1, 2013
  18. ↑ The French invent their own word for #hashtag. In: heise.de. Retrieved January 25, 2013 .
  19. ↑ GIF is the word of the year and hashtag too ( Memento from April 12, 2013 in the web archive archive.today )
  20. ^ Marlies Hesse Young Talent Award 2013 ( Memento from June 23, 2013 in the Internet Archive )
  21. ^ Prize winners 2013 Grimme Online ( Memento from June 24, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) (accessed August 14, 2013)
  22. ↑ # is the word of the year 2014
  23. ↑ Intrexx 8 , German, accessed on May 6, 2016
  24. ↑ Hashtags in Orkut communities ( Memento from March 14, 2015 in the Internet Archive ), English, accessed on January 31, 2013
  25. ↑ A cross makes a career - cultural history of the hashtag . In: Deutschlandfunk Kultur . ( deutschlandfunkkultur.de [accessed on June 13, 2018]).