hashtag

19 Stories

Pope Uses Hashtags Wrong, but NFL's Saints Don't Mind

Francis kept using #Saints in his tweets, which tagged the team—and perhaps drove them to a rare win

(Newser) - Someone might want to give Pope Francis a social media primer, at least when it comes to hashtags. The pontiff has been tweeting about actual saints (people canonized by the church), but he's been including the #Saints hashtag along with many of his posts—which on X automatically calls...

Study: 'Anomalies' Suggest TikTok Is Suppressing Content

Researchers say content suppressed in China is a lot rarer on TikTok than it is on Instagram

(Newser) - TikTok appears to be suppressing content that China's government doesn't approve of, according to researchers who found huge differences in the volume of posts on certain subjects when they compared TikTok, which is owned by a Chinese company, to Instagram. The Network Contagion Research Institute researchers at Rutgers...

#ProudBoys Gets Hijacked in Name of Gay Pride

Gay community takes over #ProudBoys hashtag from far-right group

(Newser) - If most of America didn't know who the Proud Boys were before last week, they know now. President Trump refused to clearly denounce the far-right organization, designated a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center , at Tuesday's debate, causing a commotion with his words to "stand...

After School Shootings, Russian Bots Hijacked Gun Debate

'The bots focus on anything that is divisive for Americans'

(Newser) - For Russia-linked Twitter accounts and bots linked to Russian propaganda campaigns, last week's horrific school shooting in Florida was just another opportunity to sow division among Americans, security researchers say. Within an hour of the shooting, hundreds of automated Twitter accounts with suspected Russian links began sending out tweets...

With One Hashtag, Star Opens Flood of Sexual Abuse Stories

Alyssa Milano's #MeToo goes viral

(Newser) - As new accusations continue to emerge in the Harvey Weinstein scandal, a celebrity-driven hashtag has started a wave of people who are sharing their personal experiences with sexual abuse and harassment, Mashable reports. On Sunday afternoon, Alyssa Milano tweeted : "If you've been sexually harassed or assaulted write '...

#TheySaid Goes Viral as Women Talk Body Shaming

Many describe the first time they heard a negative comment about their bodies

(Newser) - There's a new hashtag taking off on social media, and it's one that takes on body shaming. It all started on May 25 when Sally Bergesen, CEO of sports apparel brand Oiselle, took to Twitter to describe the time her dad body shamed her when she was 12:...

After 205 Days, Golfer Garcia Caves to Fan

Mark Johnson will get to caddy for him for one day

(Newser) - For more than 200 days, Spanish golfer Sergio Garcia was the subject of a relentless Twitter campaign from a persistent fan. Mark Johnson, a 40-year-old Englishman, just wanted one thing: To be Garcia's caddie for a day. Using "#Letmecaddieforyou," Johnson sent Garcia a daily tweet—some funny,...

Activist in Hiding After Starting #ShoutYourAbortion

Amelia Bonow started receiving death threats after starting #ShoutYourAbortion

(Newser) - As the debate about funding for Planned Parenthood continues, one Seattle activist has gone into hiding after a hashtag she created went viral, her address was posted online, and she started receiving death threats, the Los Angeles Times reports. The hashtag: #ShoutYourAbortion . Its mission, per Bonow and co-founder Lindy West:...

Trolls Lose Anti-Feminist Hashtag to ... Feminists

#HowToSpotAFeminist drummed up debate on Twitter

(Newser) - If you missed the recent #FeministsAreUgly hashtag, one took its place this week at #HowToSpotAFeminist after conservative radio host Doc Thompson tweeted , "Any tips on #HowToSpotAFeminist???," per Mashable . Pretty much the worst of the Internet came out to play Thompson's game of helping him ID gender-equality advocates...

CNN's #AskACop Doesn't Go So Well (for Cops)

Yes, another hashtag fail; yes, Don Lemon

(Newser) - It's been a year of epic hashtag fails: first #MyNYPD , then #CosbyMeme , and now CNN's #AskACop. In advance of the station's "Cops Under Fire" town hall segment last night, hosted by Don Lemon, CNN put a call out for people to tweet questions to its panel...

#CrimingWhileWhite: White Privilege Tales Flood Twitter

White people tell of lenient police via 'Tonight Show' writer's hashtag

(Newser) - New York City wasn't the only site of protests last night after a grand jury decision not to indict a police officer in Eric Garner's death. On Twitter, Tonight Show writer Jason Ross started the #CrimingWhileWhite hashtag to draw attention to the preferential treatment police give white people,...

Netscape and Joe Camel, Class of '18 Never Knew Ye

Saturday morning cartoons not a big thing for them

(Newser) - Kids these days, with their Firefox and Chrome … Members of the incoming Class of 2018 probably never used Netscape or got hooked on Saturday morning cartoons, according to an annual list apparently aimed at making you feel old. Beloit College in Wisconsin notes in its yearly Mindset List that...

Robin Thicke's Twitter Q&A Goes Terribly Wrong

People want to #AskThicke the questions you might expect

(Newser) - Someone at VH1 came up with the brilliant idea of hosting a Twitter Q&A with Robin Thicke using the hashtag #AskThicke. What could possibly go wrong? Well, between the backlash over his controversial hit "Blurred Lines" and the spectacle he's made of himself trying to win back...

Hashtag Activism Might Make Things Worse
Hashtag Activism Might
Make Things Worse
OPINION
May 13, 2014 1:03 PM CDT

Hashtag Activism Might Make Things Worse

Columnist thinks these retweets provide false sense of accomplishment

(Newser) - You've no doubt come across the hashtag #BringBackOurGirls, designed to draw attention to the plight of Nigeria's kidnapped girls . DA Lovell has, too, but after a few initial retweets, she's giving it a rest, she writes at the Root . The problem is that hashtag activism like this...

'Selfie,' 'Twerk' Dubbed Most Annoying Words of 2013

People are pretty sick of '#hashtag' too

(Newser) - A Michigan university has issued its annual list of annoying words, and those flexible enough to take selfies of themselves twerking should take note. In addition to "selfie" and "twerking," there was a strong sense among those who nominated words to this year's list that the...

#HashtagsAreUseless
 #HashtagsAreUseless 
OPINION
Mar 29, 2013 1:36 PM CDT

#HashtagsAreUseless

Daniel Victor at Nieman Journalism Lab explains the futility of hashtags

(Newser) - Hashtags are, in one sense, incredibly popular—and that's also why they're incredibly useless, argues Daniel Victor at the Nieman Journalism Lab . Victor assumes that if you, say, put "#SuperBowl" on your tweets during the Super Bowl, you were hoping to get it in front of more...

France Says 'Non' to 'Hashtag'
 France Says 'Non' to 'Hashtag' 
Jan 31, 2013 10:23 AM CST

France Says 'Non' to 'Hashtag'

But some complain new term 'mot-dièse' not right word

(Newser) - Au revoir, "hashtag." French language cops are striking the English word from their lexicon in favor of the francophone mot-dièse, reports the Local as picked up by Time . The Commission Générale de Terminologie et de Néologie is tasked with preserving the language, and similarly...

Stop Saying 'Hashtag' Right Now

 Stop Saying 
 'Hashtag' 
 Right Now 
OPINION
Aug 2, 2012 3:14 PM CDT

Stop Saying 'Hashtag' Right Now

Twitter-inspired descriptor just sounds awkward

(Newser) - The hashtag (#) has made its way from Twitter into normal speech, and it just doesn't sound cool, writes Eric Mack at CNET . Example: The "Twitter-dicted" say things like, "Hashtag are you kidding me?" Sure, sometimes you have an observation that begs to be tweeted, but "...

Twitter Introduces the $Cashtag
 Twitter Introduces the $Cashtag 
Jul 31, 2012 10:09 AM CDT

Twitter Introduces the $Cashtag

Move angers StockTwits

(Newser) - Hashtags got a baby brother last night when Twitter rolled out a new feature allowing users to create clickable stock symbols by prefacing them with a dollar sign, an innovation people are already calling the "cashtag." If you were tweeting about Apple, for instance, you could include "...

19 Stories