10 hashtags that defined the decade – PRWeek

August 23, 2017 by Perry Simpson ,

From #MAGA to #Maythe4th, here are some of the biggest hashtags of the first 10 years of the hashtag.

Its been 10 years since Chris Messina tweeted the first hashtag. In that time, hashtags have come to define not only social media, but also a generation of internet culture.

Every news item, product release, marketing campaign, movie premiere anything and everything really, has been collated around the hash symbol. As such, 10 people can come up with 10 different answers as to which 10 hashtags have defined the last 10 years on social media. Heres that selection from PRWeek staffers, in no particular order:

#Jan25One of the defining moments in modern international politics the uprising in Egypt in 2011 that eventually resulted in the resignation of the countrys former dictator, Muhammad Hosni El Sayed Mubarak was also a defining moment for social media. It showed that Twitter had real applications outside of cat memes and trolls.

#GamergateAn ugly moment for gamers, gamergate began as a statement against corruption in games journalism, and ended up as a rallying point for misogynists and trolls. Still, it was a moment that wont soon fade from memory.

#MakeAmericaGreatAgainNot much to be said about this one, really. It was (and is) as much a viral hashtag as a symbol of the right-wing zeitgeist. If nothing else, its been effective.

#YesWeCanThe chant that propelled President Barack Obama to the oval office during the campaign, and the ethos that defined much of his two terms. This hashtag defined not only the decade, but a new generation of American voters.

#BlackLivesMatterBLM seems more like a political party here in the waning weeks of 2017, but the movement began as social rally cry against police brutality; specifically, the killing of Trayvon Martin. Now it is one of the most prolific political chants in history.

#IceBucketChallengeThe magnitude of the virility of the ice bucket challenge is difficult to understate. Look at all the various "challenges" it left in its wake, with more cropping up all the time. The ice bucket challenge was a true gem as far as viral social media moments go, and it was one of the few that brands were able to effectively and organically co-opt.

#BreakTheInternetIts entirely possible to fill a list like this with Kim Kardashian content. But if one hashtag defines her reign, its #BreakTheInternet; a social media event where the semi-nude Kardashian literally broke Twitter.

#ImWithHerHillary Clinton remains a divisive, even near on 12 months after her defeat in last years presidential election. But the hashtag that followed her continues to be a call to action for women and womens rights groups.

#OscarsSoWhiteHollywood has a long and documented history of racism and exclusion, but the industry has been doing a bit of course correction in the wake of 2015s #OscarsSoWhite; a viral response to the Academy Awards that year (and many other years), which didnt include a single actor of color.

#MayThe4thEntertainment media inherently generates a ton of social buzz, but the viral fervor around 2015s Star Wars: The Force Awakens was an anomaly, even for a blockbuster film. It remains one of the most viewed online trailers in the first 24 hours to this day, and was one of the biggest cinematic events of this generation. Whatever the subjective quality of the film itself, its commercial success pushed May 4 as close as one can go to becoming an official holiday.

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10 hashtags that defined the decade - PRWeek