The #pros and #cons of Hashtags

In light of Facebook introducing clickable hashtags onto statuses, I felt this needed to be said.

Hashtagging. Unless you aren't part of any online social network, we've all seen it, most of us have used it (even ironically, don't deny it). Most of them looking something like this:

"Just ate a grape #yum #fruit #grape #sexy #summer #starbucks #ilovegrapes"

Hashtagging, if you aren't aware, is a method of tagging one's posts or updates with relevant tags so the post will be found when searched, or to keep one's posts organized. It originated on popular social networking platform Twitter, and branched off from there.

Gradually, the hashtags, named aptly for the "#" that precedes the tag known as a "hash", evolved beyond simple tagging. They became a way for users to include afterthoughts of what they just said. It's something that's evolved past simple tagging, although that still remains. For example:

"Just saw Iron Man 3! #totallyawesome #wouldseeitagain"

There are pros and cons to this new feature crawling around the Internet.

#PROS

01.) ORGANIZATION. The biggest appeal of hashtagging is that it's a form of organization. With hashtags, one can see a wide variety of posts on the same subject in one place. This is helpful for those searching for posts and information about puppies or the earthquake that just rocked Japan. It saves a lot of time for the searcher.

02.) ACCESSIBILITY. Part of the first pro, by using a hashtag, it makes said update easier to find for others. The tweet/photo/etc gets more recognition rather if it was left untagged (unhashed?). 

03.) CREATIVITY. With the power to tag an update with anything, one can create afterthoughts of their tweets, which can be pretty clever and add another dimension to the thought behind the status. A great example is of the hashtag "#StandWithWendy" for supporters Wendy Davis' filibuster to unite together and show their support and solidarity.

#CONS

01.) IRRELEVANT TAGS. By tagging a picture of an orange as "#orange," this allows said picture of an orange to appear if someone so desires to search for citrus fruit statues on Twitter or Instagram. By hashtagging it, the user is implying that they want their photo of their delicious orange to be found and appreciated by others.

HOWEVER, when said users tag their vapid statuses with useless tags, what I like to call hashtag abuse, it is all out attention-seeking. I call this tag abuse.

"Look at my pretty #toenails! #hot #sunny #onedirection #justinbeiber #nail #polish #spanisharmada"

I mean, for God's sake, anyone remotely interested in boy bands or Hispanic naval fleets will come across the picture of sandal-clad feet and wonder something like, "Why the hell is this in the tag?"
This person is basically hoping that by tagging their photo with irrelevant tags, it'll garner more attention.
The result: people looking in that actual tag will just be annoyed.

02.) PROMOTIONAL TAGS. I see it everywhere. Almost every single advertisement on TV, there's a little hashtag in the corner so you can tweet about the commercial you just saw. A lot of businesses are using hashtags to target who they market and sell to online. The same goes for television shows. For example, I watch the show Once Upon A Time, and I always see "#OnceUponATime" or "#OUAT" in the corner of the screen. 

This provides one uniform hashtag for viewers to use when updating their twitters about the episode. This is often called "livetweeting", giving play-by-play commentary on what's going on.
Now, by them providing the tag, it makes it even easier on the network to prowl Twitter and find out who's watching what and when.
This is simply another advertising scheme, trying to unify the users and gather them all in one place to figure out their main demographics. Tip to the advertisers and marketing teams: Adding it to every single commercial and TV show is really out of hand and unnecessary.

03.) IRRELEVANCE BETWEEN SITES. As we know, Facebook has started using clickable hashtags. We all knew this day would come eventually. However, this proves to be mainly service to advertisers if nothing else. People use Twitter and Facebook for different purposes. Twitter is for shorter soundbites while Facebook is much more extensive and languid (I use the term loosely). Most people just search normal keywords in Facebook, while hashtags are the best way to navigate updates on Twitter, Instagram, and Tumblr. 

04.) USE OUTSIDE OF INTERNET. Every time someone actually says out loud "hashtag ____" un-ironically, the eye-rolling commences. Twitter =/= actual face-to-face conversation. It's the modern equivalent to the air quotes.
Like many an English teacher has told me: show, don't tell. Convey your emotions through your word choice rather than slapping on a "#sad" instead.

The best example I've had was when my English professor was talking about Hamlet if it was set in modern times: 

"Ophelia just broke up with me #woebegone"

I honestly cracked up at that.

Overall, I believe that hashtags outside of where they are relevant are seriously asinine. But, they do serve their purpose and are quite useful (but severely overdone in most facets of media).

What's your stance on the new hashtag craze? Feel free to leave your thoughts in the comments.


Till next time xx,

Sierra


***NOTE: All examples used I made up on the spot, save the last one, and are exaggerated for emphasis.