Hashtag (#)as idea,was born on August 23, 2007 by Chris Messina... Its in my opinion that '#'ing is a way to stress a word or words... Like when you use bold, underline or itallic to give a purpose to a word, belief and a idea... A tool to stress a concept, action, slogan or even sentence. When you '#' something, it makes whoever or whatever is attatched with a '#' instantly searchable and accesable by most (but not all) search engines and social media websites like Google, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram-- just to name a few.
The possibility arises that '#'ing could loosely serve as a form of over-saturation-- a platform of like-minded protest as seen in the Arab Spring Revolutions, giving power and referance to objects, people and their ideas or even catch-phrases and whimsical slogans*. The '#' is a form of literary weapon, a symbol that could build and/or infectthe most purist of ideas that internet search engines theoretically stand for-- legitimentcy, anonymity and accessibility.
'#'ing is something that not only unlocks a world of endless insta-referencing but also to question the surface-truth of everything you may learn and reference, in one way or another, under the banner of the '#'.
Since the original home of the '#' is Twitter, I've began to look at Twitter as a instrumental writing tool that's helped me learn how to be more consecus in my writing-- like an editing tool. Inevitably, '#'s are not only intertwined and were admittedly seen as something that would change my personal perceptions of words, but it also helped redeveloped my writing process as a whole... Looking at every sentence with precision. Go turn on your favorite TV program. Probably, you will see a watermark in the corner, for fans of the program to connect with. Television programs, like NBCs Tonight Show or Comedy Centrals @Midnight, use the '#' for joke ideas or in the case of @Midnight, relays mainly on the '#' for the entire show! The power of the '#' is growing and growing and it's looking like it's gonna stick around.
I'm not only enjoying, but suggesting that if you are reading this, consider the reach and potential of the '#' and give it a try. Give Twitter and Instagram a try...There's strength in words and the '#' gives those (raw)words more connection, purpose and power. Thanks for reading.
FOOTNOTES
* also 'sloganeering' as if Situationism