Love them or hate them, hashtags are part and parcel of our digital lives.
And in 2014, there were plenty of notable ones attached to news events, campaigns or sometimes just jokes. Here are some of the hashtags which ended up trending this year.
#Euromaidan
At the beginning of the year, violence erupted in Kiev as pro-European protestors clashed with police in Ukraine.
The protest was documented in detail across social media, many people using the hashtag #евромайдан and later, in English, #Euromaidan. On Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and Russian network VKontakte, people outside of Ukraine had a rolling insight into what was happening in Kiev’s Independence Square on an almost minute by minute basis. In November, one year on from the start of the protests, we ran a piece speaking to those who experienced the protest that transformed Ukraine.
#BringBackOurGirls
In April, more than 200 Nigerian schoolgirls were kidnapped by terrorist organisation Boko Haram – but it wasn’t until May that the rest of the world took notice. As BBC Trending reported at the time, #BringBackOurGirls was tweeted by thousands of Nigerians, putting pressure on authorities to rescue the girls.
By May, the cause had global attention as people all over the world, including celebrities and politicians, tweeted their support for the campaign. Among those getting involved were Malala Yousafzai and US first lady Michelle Obama.
Our prayers are with the missing Nigerian girls and their families. It's time to #BringBackOurGirls. -mo pic.twitter.com/glDKDotJRt
— The First Lady (@FLOTUS) May 7, 2014
While the hashtag has now slipped from the trending bar, you can read more about the campaigners still fighting for Kochi’s schoolgirls here.
#WhyImVotingUkip
Ukip members wanted to know why people wanted to vote for their party in the European elections. “Let’s get it trending!” @UkipHarrogate tweeted optimistically. Except things didn’t quite go to plan.
#WhyImVotingUkip: because, like the leader @Nigel_Farage, I get a bit racist when I'm tired too.
— Shoaib M Khan (@ShoaibMKhan) May 20, 2014
#WhyImVotingUkip Because the weather's really starting to pick up, and I don't want it ruined by gays.
— Vikki Stone (@vikkistone) May 21, 2014
#AlexFromTarget
pls rt bc everyone needs alex from target on their tl pic.twitter.com/31udOj9Fxd
— c (@chntxl) November 2, 2014
Internet fame can come when you least expect it. Such was the case for 16-year-old Alex Lee, who unexpectedly became internet-famous after someone posted a sneak snapshot of him as he worked the tills at American retailer Target. This one photo led to thousands of tweets, an appearance on Ellen Degeneres’ show and a bizarre claim, proved to have no basis, that the whole thing was a marketing stunt.
#PatronisingBTLady
It was a campaign video meant to convince undecided female voters in Scotland to reject independence. Unfortunately, the Better Together advert ended up accidentally becoming the inspiration for a meme and even convincing some people to vote yes.
Comedy gold from @UK_Together 's #patronisingBTlady ! pic.twitter.com/6Lwc653uKA
— Declan B (@YesWithDex) August 26, 2014
#BlackLivesMatter
"Die-in" at historic Las Vegas Fremont Street
A peaceful protest marched through downtown Las Vegas on December 5th in the wake of the decision not to indict a police officer responsible for the chokehold death of Eric Garner. The crowd was made up by three groups united by similar causes, among them the disappearance of 43 students in Mexico and overall support to end police brutality in all cities of the US. LVMPD and the protestors cooperated with one another during the march as they closed off streets while staging "die-ins" at busy intersections. The notion of community was made evident among the three crowds that found it best to unite their voices taking turns chanting messages like "Hands up, don't shoot" "Vivos se los llevaron, vivos los queremos" and "I can't breathe." Although this demonstration wasn't to the caliber of protests in New York or Los Angeles, the efforts of these Las Vegas residents were enough to strike a chord with many tourists visiting the sights of sin city.
Towards the end of 2014 protests sprang up across the US and around the world after the high-profile killings of 18-year-old Michael Brown, 43-year-old Eric Garner and a number of other young black men, all of whom died at the hands of white police officers in the US.
In truth, no one hashtag encompasses the movement, which has thrust racial profiling and racial relations to the headlines. From #ICantBreathe, Garner’s last words as he was placed in a chokehold, to #HandsupDontShoot, social media has been used in many different ways to document frustrations with institutional racism in policing.
#Gamergate
In August, game developer Zoe Quinn’s ex-boyfriend posted a blog post alleging that she had had a relationship with a games journalist. The result? A movement its supporters claimed was about ethics in games journalism, but which also involved harassment and death threats aimed at a number of female targets, including Quinn and media critic Anita Sarkeesian.
Later that month, Sarkeesian was forced to cancel a talk at Utah State University after an anonymous threat to perform a “Montreal Massacre style attack”. It was then that #StopGamerGate2014 rose to the top of the trending charts as the movement reached the front of the New York Times for all the wrong reasons.
#CameronMustGo
Because a society where the wealth of the top 1,000 can double while workers’ pay packets fall year after year is bankrupt #CameronMustGo
— Owen Jones (@OwenJones84) November 22, 2014
When it started, it was about Twitter decrying David Cameron’s record in government. With more than 180,000 tweets sent over a weekend in November including some from high-profile columnists, commentators and politicians, the topic was soon trending in the UK on Twitter. Unusually, the hashtag stuck around for a number of weeks before Twitter’s algorithm caused it to disappear from the trending bar. Some people using the hashtag were criticised for inaccurate or misleading tweets.
#DirenKahkaha
In an Eid al-Fitr speech, Turkey’s deputy prime minister Bülent Arinc said women should not laugh out loud. “She should not laugh loudly in front of all the world and should preserve her decency at all times,” he said.
İnadına kahkaha #heryerkahkahaheryerdireniş #direnkahkaha pic.twitter.com/wqs8JViHCY
— pelin can (@plncn68) July 28, 2014
Reacting to his comments, Turkish women posted pictures with the hashtag #direnkahkah, which translates to “resist laughter”. Soon enough, more women joined in, including actor Emma Watson.
#thingsthatarenotmosques
It’s no wonder Ukip has warned its members not to go on Twitter.
Whoever was at the helm of Ukip’s South Thanet Twitter account caused much mirth on Twitter when they mistook Westminster Cathedral for a mosque, sparking #thingsthatarenotmosques: an educational hashtag for anyone confused about what is and isn’t a mosque.
#ThingsThatAreNotMosques @Nigel_Farage pic.twitter.com/KfvCL4rkcv
— Alex Andreou (@sturdyAlex) November 26, 2014
Mosque-ow. #thingsthatarenotmosques pic.twitter.com/mBNXtZ5sTO
— Tart of Darkness (@soapachu) November 26, 2014
Any we’ve missed? Let us know in the comments below.
