What is a hashtag (#)? Meaning and application simply explained

Whether on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram - you will find the # symbol everywhere. In this article, we explain what this so-called hashtag means and when you use it.

Hashtags (#) in social networks - that's the reason

The term hashtag combines the two English words "hash" and "tag". While the latter means "catchword", "hash" refers to the double cross (#).

• A hashtag is therefore a keyword that is set apart from the rest of the text by a hash symbol. Most of the time, these terms appear at the end of the post or tweet.
• Users thus give their posts a thematic assignment. With Facebook and Google+, the post is integrated into the keyword search. That means: other users will find your post if they search for the hashtag.
• The principle works similarly on Twitter. Here you can also search for hashtags and find all the tweets related to the topic. The top list of hashtags also shows you which topics are particularly popular (see photo).
• To use a hashtag yourself, you only need to add a double cross to the word you want, for example "#Chip". Make sure that there is no space between the character and the term.

With the right hashtags, you can get popular on social networks. We have summarized more tips on how to get more followers on Twitter for you in another article.