Use of Hashtags on Facebook and its Many Levels of Distress


I remember a tweet from “Funny Tweets” that said: “There's a special place in Hell reserved for people who use hashtags on their Facebook statuses.” It was so funny that I decided to take a mental note of it, and never thought that one day I'll be quoting it for a blog post.

Hashtags on twitter are widely used to group certain messages or ideas. For example, hashtags like #USPresidentialElections, #BostonBombing, #SandyHook, #HurricaneSandy are used to indicate what particular topic you are tweeting about. Click them and you bring yourself to a page where people all over the world talk about the same thing.

And because of its popularity and efficiency in bringing people with common interests together, some users have crossed borders and brought this craze on facebook, which eventually resulted to a bunch of faddists posting status updates with hashtags too! The unfortunate news is, hashtags are often used voraciously they could make every single person who encounters them want to collapse in disbelief.



To cut to the chase, here's a list of how hashtags are used on facebook and its many levels of distress:
Note: I give you the freedom to judge whether the examples below are real, modified or fabricated. ;)

1. Hashtags with space
Level: Annoying

People who use hashtags with space clearly have no twitter accounts. The hashtag is often found at the beginning of a sentence, but is sometimes followed by a space then a word or a word followed by a space.

Whether they rant, express delight or share a nonchalant post, the end result is the same: they make you frown.

Annoying are those who post like these:

Example:

o.O.O.o! Can't they express themselves without the “#” anymore?? The 'supposed' hashtag only looked like a misplaced number sign brought about by typographical error. Without the “#”, their status would have looked so normal and they could have saved themselves from looking so ridiculous in the eyes of their judgmental friends.

2. Hashtags on every word of a sentence
Level: Irritating

These are people who must feel so overwhelmed by the creation of hashtags on social media that they insert “#” in almost every word in their sentence as if they can be clicked.


Beat this:



This is injustice and ignorance all rolled into one. The thing with twitter is, it only allows up to 140 characters per tweet so you have to choose your words wisely. With facebook, you can post something however long it is, hence granting anyone the freedom to litter their status updates.

3. Hashtags all over the place
Level: Despicable

I'm sure you've encountered a facebook friend who posts a brief status update followed by a gazillion of unnecessary hashtags that could make any computer or mobile phone crash.

ex.

Seriously, what has #iphone4 got to do with McDonald's?  

Anyway, another equally eye-rolling facebook post may come from someone posting a picture of herself with a caption that runs 1 kilometer long:

Honestly, are you going to school to study or to a fashion show to flaunt your signature outfit? Oo na, ikaw na ang branded og gamit!


If I were still in college, I'd use this blog post title for my research paper. It would be fun to study about people's various habits/styles in updating about their lives on social media and how they are unconsciously turning into narcissistic and self-centered creatures they never wished to be.

But the root of contention is: “If it's a matter of retaining our dignity and social class, should hashtags be forbidden on facebook?”

This question is so mind-boggling it deserves to be included in every government exam in the country.

I have occasionally used hashtags on my status too, but it sure wasn't that annoying. Hashtags on facebook are not harmful, even if they are not originally made for that platform. However, it becomes virtually toxic when they reach a certain degree of being misused and overused.

On the other hand, hashtags are effective when used in a funny or sarcastic way.
ex.
I wanna join Bb. Pilipinas next year. #deathofselfrespect
What to have for dinner - Turkey or Dinosaur? #FirstWorldProblems

In most cases, hashtags are used as an extension for your status. If a wall post is short and vague, the hashtag becomes a context clue to give light to what you are talking about.

ex.
My heart grieves over the bloody massacre that happened today. #bostonbombing

See? Not bad at all. Even if hashtags are excessively used on facebook lately, we can still maintain our class by choosing what words to use after the famous number sign, right?

News Flash!
I've stumbled upon a news article that says hashtags are coming to facebook, technically. (as if they don't exist yet, dammit they're everywhere!) The Facebook team is planning to incorporate hashtags into the famed social platform, which means those mega annoying and unnecessary hashtags can finally have a life of their own.

Think of how disastrous life would be when #imbored, #prettyme, #peopleyouwishwoulddienow would trend among your friends. Think of how colorful our facebook news feeds would be when everybody used hashtags. I can't imagine life to be this messy. Thoughts of it make me fear the future of mankind.

In conclusion, our use of hashtags reveal the kind of persons we are - our interests (#WalkingDead, #IronMan3), hobbies (#moviemarathon, #cookingwithdad), personality (#peanutbitter, #happysoul), depth (#elections2013, #bookstoreadbeforeyoudie), and yes, shallowness (#^&*$@^!).

Because of human's innate creativity, we have created a world of constant reinventions, whether in real life or in the online world, and hashtags are one of them. The thing is, are we truly using it according to its purpose?

I'll end this with a facebook post my friend Fritz Flores wrote in obvious dismay with this facebook hashtag fad.
"#hala #sige #ihastag #tanan #imong #gibati #kay #magsugba #tag #ice #nawong #nimo #nopunctuationmarks"

Oh well, tara magsugba ta'g ice!


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