ALL HAIL THE HASHTAG #, THE NEW ‘SUPER POWER’

According to Twitter the ‘#’ symbol, called a ‘Hashtag’, is used to mark keywords or topics in a Tweet. It was created organically by Twitter users as a way to categorize messages. However, this symbol has evolved beyond just marking keywords and topics on Twitter, to something much greater; from enabling resource mobilization to fostering campaigns and revolutions that brought nations to their knees, and also united the world for a common purpose.

In January 2011 mass protests filled the streets of Egypt in an 18-day revolution against then President Hosni Mubarak, who kept the country under tight dictatorial rule for 30 years. Hundreds of thousands of people occupied flooded the Tahrir Square, Egypt, in what was an entirely new kind of uprising that shot through the entire Middle East. We saw firsthand how social media –marked by hashtags such as #Egypt #Cairo #Mubarak - could shape events of the world. The government eventually had to shut down the internet a few days after across the country.

According to an article by Ryan Holmes, CEO at HootSuite, “One woman, whom I never met and know only from one tweet sent through HootSuite was named Sonia Verma. Reporting from right in the heart of Tahrir Square—where protests had suddenly turned bloody—she tweeted: “They are ripping up banners to use as bandages #Egypt.” In fewer than 140 characters, she said volumes—and her message potentially reached and moved millions. That’s the power of social media.”

In April 2014 over 200 school girls were abducted in Borno State in Nigeria by Boko Haram insurgents who have been terrorizing the Northern part of Nigeria since the present administration, led by President Goodluck Jonathan, took over office in 2011.

The Twitter campaign #BringBackOurGirls has helped galvanize world attention to the kidnapping of the girls, with global leaders and celebrities joining the calls to find the girls and bring them back safe. First Lady of the United States of America, Michelle Obama’s photo in solidarity of the campaign is recorded to have been used nearly 3 million times on Twitter.

Although the girls are yet to be found, protests in Nigeria and around the world, as well as foreign government and international pressure on the Nigerian government to take more action, have shown that people will not rest until the girls are brought back home.

While it is not guaranteed always that the hashtag or social media campaigns will ultimately deliver the desired end – as was shown by the #Kony2012 campaign – we however cannot deny the fact that it always generates a lot interest and action towards the issue. Unfortunately, because of the virtual nature of the hashtag, it may never be considered for a Nobel Prize or anything of that sort, but we can all see how with a click of a button on your computer/phone/device, the world community can be rallied around a matter and generate impact, successfully or unsuccessfully.