Pound Sign? Hashtag? Octothorp? (The Atlantic)

As of last week, the Oxford English Dictionary officially recognizes the word “hashtag,” made popular by Twitter and also functional on Instagram and Facebook. On social media, the hashtag (#) is used to categorize posts, photos, comments, etc. with a common thread (for example, #WorldCup2014 is trending now). Before that, it was a common phone command (“press the pound key”) and an early programming signal. In our technology-oriented modern world, it’s snuck its way into conversation, too, which Jimmy Fallon relentlessly mocks in his “#hashtag” sketches with celebrities. #ClickHereToReadMore from #TheAtlantic.