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Settling the debate: hashtags aren’t dead, just different
I’ve been doing social media for nearly 15 years across higher ed, government, and the entertainment industry, working on campaigns for Amazon Prime, Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, Invincible, and more. In all that time, one debate just won’t die: are hashtags still useful, or are they dead?
Spoiler: hashtags aren’t dead. But they’re definitely on life support.
Here’s a glimpse of what you can learn in my talk about hashtags.
Plus, I’m handing you the ultimate hashtag survival guide: a platform-by-platform cheat sheet, when to use (and skip) them, and guardrails so you don’t tumble into the pit of #CringeMarketing. Reference it before every launch, event, or “should we make this a hashtag?” conversation 👇
Get the free video & guidelines
First, a bit of #history
There’s no better way to visualize the rise and slow fade of the hashtag than a little journey through its history, from revolutionary to… mostly vibes.
2007: Twitter invents the hashtag
User-generated brilliance. Suddenly, the chaos of early Twitter has a filing system. Discovery thrives.
2010–2015: The golden era
#ThrowbackThursday! #NoFilter! Hashtags are social currency and low-key growth hacks. Instagram especially leans in: using the “right” ones actually gets you reach.
2013: Hashtags arrive on Facebook
Technically they work. Emotionally? No one wants them. Felt like a brand trying too hard at the party.
2014–2016: Branded hashtag campaigns explode
#ShareaCoke, #LikeAGirl, #OptOutside. This is when brands believed hashtags could carry entire campaigns. Sometimes they could!
2018: Hashtags as activism
#MeToo and #BlackLivesMatter underscore the real power of a hashtag. Beyond algorithms, hashtags can unite people, elevate voices, and shift culture.
2019: Hashtag stuffing becomes cringe
30-hashtag captions start to feel like spam. Social managers pivot to more thoughtful usage (or drop them altogether).
2020: Algorithm > hashtag
Platforms now rely on behavior, interests, and AI-powered discovery. Keyword search gets smarter. Hashtags become… decorative?
2021: Shadowban paranoia sets in
Using the “wrong” hashtag could tank your post (allegedly). Social teams start second-guessing every single #Inspo.
2023+: Platforms back away
Threads doesn’t support hashtags. TikTok makes them look useful, but the real driver is watch time. Instagram quietly deprioritizes them. They’re not gone, but their power has definitely dimmed.
Why the “hashtags are dead” debate never ends
Hashtags have been pronounced dead for as long as social media has been around. Yet, like zombies, they keep shuffling forward. Instagram killed hashtag following, X banned them in ads, Threads doesn’t bother with them at all and even so, people keep using them.
Why? Because hashtags have become cultural artifacts. They’re embedded in how we use the internet. They may have lost a lot of their original utility, but they’re still hanging on.
That said: their role is shrinking. Platforms are shifting to keyword-driven discovery and algorithmic feeds. Once the platforms themselves decide hashtags are irrelevant, that’s the real death knell.
The case against hashtags
If you’re still tacking 30 random hashtags onto every Instagram post hoping for more reach: stop. That strategy didn’t work even when hashtags were more powerful.
A hashtag without a purpose is clutter. Worse, it can make your content look outdated or spammy. Hashtags are not magic SEO juice for social media posts. Every word in a caption should earn its place. If you can’t answer “why is this hashtag here?” then go ahead and delete it.
Branded hashtags? Harmless, but rarely helpful
Clients often insist on branded hashtags. My advice? Don’t fight that battle too hard.
Branded hashtags usually function as glorified taglines. Unless you give your audience a clear reason to use them, think a contest, an event, a campaign that encourages participation, your customers won’t bother.
But branded hashtags aren’t harmful either. They won’t tank your reach, and if they satisfy a stakeholder, sometimes it’s best to let them be.
When hashtags do matter
Hashtags aren’t entirely useless. They still shine in a few situations:
- Crisis & localization: During tornado season in Arkansas, I rely on #ARWX (Arkansas weather) for real-time updates. In emergencies, hashtags still function as information lifelines.
- Movements & activism: #BlackLivesMatter proved how powerful a shared rallying point can be.
- Events & conferences: A simple hashtag helps attendees follow along, share takeaways, and network. Year-stamped versions (#SocialCon25) prevent confusion with past years.
- Contests & UGC campaigns: When users have an incentive to post with your hashtag, it can spark participation.
The common thread? Purpose. Hashtags only work when they’re tied to clear intent.
Hashtag fails: the cautionary tales
Of course, hashtags can go very wrong. The classics include:
- The unfortunate concatenation: Susan Boyle’s team promoted her album launch with #SusanAlbumParty. When you read that as one word, it… wasn’t family-friendly. Lesson: always test your hashtags in CamelCase.
- The trend hijack: DiGiorno once used the trending hashtag #WhyIStayed to joke about pizza. Problem? That hashtag was being used to raise awareness about domestic violence. Thirty seconds of research could have avoided a PR nightmare.
Bottom line: always scan how a hashtag is being used before jumping on it.
How to choose the right hashtags
If you’re going to use hashtags, keep it intentional:
- Research: See what your audience actually uses. Don’t just guess.
- Limit yourself: TikTok now caps hashtags at five. That’s a good rule of thumb everywhere.
- Test & iterate: Try different ones, track engagement, refine over time.
- Avoid vanity tags: #IDontKnowWhatIWasThinking is not helping you. Write it as a sentence instead.
The bigger picture: hashtags won’t save bad content
Here’s the real talk: whether hashtags live or die won’t make or break your social media strategy. Great content will.
You can hack around with keywords, hashtags, and algorithm “tricks” all day, but if your content doesn’t resonate, none of it matters.
That’s why I spend more time listening to communities than fiddling with hashtag lists. Join the Discord servers, lurk in subreddits, dive into fan groups. If scented candles have fandoms (kid you not, they’re called “fandles”), your industry does too. Learn how your audience speaks, then reflect that naturally in your content.
That authenticity does more for reach than any hashtag could.
So, are hashtags dead?
Not quite. But their glory days are long gone. Today, hashtags are niche tools for specific use cases and not the growth hack marketers once treated them as.
If hashtags had a tombstone, the epitaph would probably just read: #YOLO.
TL;DR: use hashtags if you have a clear purpose. Skip them if you don’t. And never let them distract you from the real priority: creating content your audience actually cares about.
Jon-Stephen Stansel is an award-winning social media professional with 10+ years of experience managing and creating content for top brands. He has led social strategy for Amazon Prime’s Invincible, The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, and Avatar: The Way of Water, as well as universities, state agencies, and small businesses. A former Director of Social Media at Chaotic Good Studios, Jon-Stephen has also taught courses, spoken at international conferences, and holds degrees in Radio/TV Production and English from Arkansas State University.