On 23 August, 2007, the #hashtag was born on Twitter. That’s right, the stalwart of our internet culture, one of the most widely used and recognised symbols in the world, was invented almost by accident.
Ten years ago, Chris Messina tweeted #barcamp, the first time a hashtag was used to bring a group together.
Since then, you might say it’s caught on:
- Globally, an average of 125 million hashtags are shared every day on Twitter.
- The most tweeted hashtag in 2007 was used around 9,000 times. The most-used hashtag so far in 2017 was used over 300 million times.
Suzy Nicoletti, managing director of Twitter Australia, said: “When anything happens in the world, it happens on Twitter, and the hashtag is a perfect example of this.
“The hashtag changed everything. Over the past 10 years, it has become one of the most widely recognised and used symbols in the world. It created new ways to communicate, to share, and to build communities.
“When you look at some of Australia’s top Twitter hashtags, you’ve got everything from social movements like #illridewithyou, to passionate fans of #5SOS, iconic sporting events like the #MelbourneCup and the ever-trending #auspol.
“It’s a mix that speaks to our unique culture, sense of identity and sense of humour. It’s #whatshappening.”
Here are some of the top facts about hashtags in Australia:
- We’ve tweeted almost half a billion times with hashtags showing the love for homegrown boy band 5 Seconds of Summer (Yes, just under half a billion.)
- Aussie political junkies have used the #Auspol hashtag 3.5 million times.
And around the world?
- The most tweeted TV show hashtag of all time is #TheWalkingDead
- The most tweeted about movie hashtag of all time is #StarWars.
- The most tweeted gaming hashtag of all time is トレクル (TreCru/Treasure Cruise), with over 269 million uses of the hashtag.
Twitter users can join the celebration today by Tweeting with #hashtag10 from 2pm AEST on 23 August. Using #hashtag10 will activate a 24-hour custom emoji to celebrate the 10th birthday of the hashtag.
