Chris Messina's initial intention of the hashtag was to introduce an artifact that would simply categorize messages, specifically "tweets," on Twitter. As Twitter evolves into an international communication phenomenon, the hashtag's initial application is still intact. However, the reception and consumption by Twitter consumers differs from the initial design and intention of Chris Messina. Below are just some examples of the hashtag being consumed and utilized in ways that differ from its initial intention...
SPOKEN LANGUAGE
The hashtag has burst out of its use as a sorting tool on Twitter and has become a linguistic element; some actually incorporate the hashtag into every day conversation. For example, “hashtag good day” or “hashtag awkward.” If the written hashtag is primarily used to provide another means of communicating or interpreting messages, it is useful precisely because of the limitations of the written word. Emotion is difficult to express when writing, as is sarcasm, and the hashtag may be an easy way for many people to do this. But if we need to resort to hashtagging our spoken words, I have to wonder if we should be speaking our punctuation. After all, the hashtag should only reflect something already apparent in our lives, much like a comma might represent a pause in a sentence.
Originally intended as a way of organizing tweets, the hashtag has evolved into a form of meta-commentary; it finds itself inserted into nearly any sort of social media, whether or not anyone else has ever used that hashtag before or will ever use it again. Some use it as a way of expressing the emotion behind what they just said, while others simply point to a broader topic that connects to what they’ve written. #demonstration
PRIMARY FUNCTION...WHAT WAS INTENDED.
Hashtags mark keywords or topics in Tweets. They are composed of a single word or phrase beginning with a "#" and with no spaces or punctuation. You'll see them around Twitter in a variety of locations—including in trending topics. Clicking on one will lead you to a search featuring Tweets with that same hashtag. Think of it like choosing what a Tweet is filed under. Hashtags were originally created by Twitter users and have become a way to participate in global conversations.
Conversations on Twitter collect around hashtags. If you want to start a conversation, introduce a hashtag. If you want to join a conversation already happening on Twitter, find the hashtag that's being used. In some sense, the hashtag on Twitter is the address that will lead you to the topic you would like to discuss and/or learn about. In addition, the hashtag is the address that will also lead you to other Twitter users who are looking to discuss the same thing or interest.
#HashtagFunctions
PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION
The White House promoted a new Twitter hashtag — #My2k — that represented the estimated $2,200 middle class families that would see their taxes increase by, on average, if Congress fails to extend the Bush-era tax rates. Administration officials asked supporters to post on social media networks and the White House website about how a tax increase would affect them.
“After the President’s event, the White House will call on Americans across the country to share on Twitter what #My2K means to them, as well as on other social media channels, and on WhiteHouse.gov,” an administration official said. “We’ll highlight the #My2K stories received on WhiteHouse.gov and through social media to elevate the impact of inaction for middle class families" (Obama Debuts...).
According to the White House “tens of thousands of working Americans” called, tweeted, or emailed their representatives in Washington as a result of that campaign (Obama Debuts....). The hashtag has come of age politically. Whether you tweet or not, Twitter is playing a dramatic role in helping shape this year's presidential election.
According to Pew, 36 percent of social networking site users say the online communications are “very important” or “somewhat” important to them in keeping up with political news. Roughly 60 percent of American adults use such sites as Facebook or Twitter and 66 percent of those users -- or 39 percent of all American adults -- have done at least one civic or political activity with social media, according to a Pew survey. Thirty-eight percent have used social media to “like” or promote material related to political or social issues that others have posted (Goldman, Julianna).
BABY NAME?
Yes, you read that correctly . On November 24, 2012 at approximately 10 p.m. a baby girl named Hashtag Jameson was born. This event illustrates how integrated into our lives digital media, specifically social networking sites and Twitter, have become. More specifically, the hashtag has deemed important enough to become a part of this child's life forever.
The hashtag was once an artifact that resided only in cyberspace to help organize information on Twitter. It has now seeped out of the online world and into our offline worlds. This once cyber artifact has now been made an important artifact that blurs the line between our online constructed "selves" on our Twitter profiles and who we actually are in "real time" or in the worldoutside of the cyber realm.
This child is a living example of how the hashtag continues to evolve and expand into every aspect of our daily lives.
DISASTER RELIEF
In the case of disaster relief, this artifact represents a symbol of hope. Because of Twitter's easy one-to-many transmission system and the 140 character limits on tweets, Twitter has become a useful venue for information about disasters and relief projects.
The hashtag makes possible for Twitter users to follow and locate request for assistance and help, links to charity and relief organizations, and those with personal stories about the disasters themselves. In a time of turmoil and sadness, the hashtag acts as a connector and binder of people across the country and across the globe. The hashtag makes possible the mobilization of a community to help others in trouble, even if they are remote from the scene.
TELEVISION
During popular television programs, TV shows regularly appear in the Twitter trending topics during air time or prime time. Special programs such as awards shows (#Oscars, #Grammys, #TeenChoiceAwards...etc) and sporting events (#SuperBowl, #WorldSeries...etc.) are extremely popular for live tweeting. In this sense, the hashtag connects fans across the country sharing similar interests and passions regarding these programs.
What makes the presence of a hashtag on television so powerful is that it suggests that there is a conversation happening about a certain program at that moment, and you can be a part of it. The hashtag symbolizes a link to a community and conversations happening with which users may want to be a part.
The location and application of the hashtag reflects much upon its user and the intentions of that user. The hashtag may be used in its original manner as a "topic tracker" in the Twitterverse. However, it may also be used in many of its recently evolved manners that were not foreseen by its creator, Chris Messina. Like the medieval castle discussed by Professor Michael Shanks of Stanford University, the layout of a tweet can reflect more than the actual function of that tweet, but rather the value of its intention (Shanks, in class lecture).
ADVERTISING
The Dr. Pepper advertisement to the right illustrates quite creatively the impact of the hashtag and how one can advertise and market an object. Many brands are now going out of their way to get people to talk about them in 140 characters or less. And one way they’re doing this is by including hashtags in their advertising and marketing campaigns.This campaign executed by Dr. Pepper aired during the New England Patriots-Baltimore Ravens football game on TV on January 22, 2012, the hashtag, #ImA, was used to spread the word that Dr. Pepper is — like each of its fans — “Always One of a Kind.” A fun commercial, it’s like one big flash mob in which everyone involved is proud to be wearing t-shirts that proclaim who they are as individuals (e.g, “I’m a Dreamer,” “I’m a Fighter,” etc.), a perfect play on the brand’s longtime slogan, “I’m a Pepper” (Cargill, Bob). Creating a hashtag that tied so nicely into the ad’s message was a stroke of genius that only served to broaden the brand’s reach across Twitter.
Hashtags have become a huge part of social media marketing. It is very simple to add a hashtag for your product or event into the branding. By including a hashtag you can later connect with individuals that are using your product and or service. Advertising is yet another way that hashtags facilitate interaction amongst users and the brands that are promoted by advertising and marketing companies.