Hashtag

174 Replies

Hashtag

“I’m so annoyed right now #fuckcandycrush”

“WTF!! Really tho? Of all days #fml”

“Just made my day 🙂 #feelingblessed”

“#YOLO”

It has become a place where you can go to share your thoughts and feelings. A place where you can seek for approval before trying something new. A place where you can go to ask for advice before making the wrong decision. A place where you can tell who cares and who doesn’t.

A place where you can play games with new and old friends. A place where you can receive invites to parties, film festivals, concerts and games. For most people it has become a playground, which means the more friends and followers you have the higher status you gain. For many it has substitute the morning and evening prays. I am sure Zuckerberg, Systrom & Krieger and Dorsey didn’t see all this coming.

The thirst for attention has grown, hence we take photos of everything we see, everything from what you had for breakfast to selfies. We turn to it when we are lonely because that’s when we seek for attention the most. The more “Likes” the better. The platform has become our spotlight, and it has become our job to function as our own publicist. We would unintentionally go the extreme route to produce more comments and likes on our posts. The platform has become an environment where our paparazzi can follow us. We take photos of everything we see or experience. As our own publicist we strive for creating our own image, an image we fail to build in the real world. Amore, Mayfair, Rise, Hudson, Valencia, X-pro II, Sierra, Willow, Lo-Fi, Earlybird, Sutro, Toaster, Brannan, Inkwell, Walden, Hefe, Nashville, 1977and Kelvin are just a few out of many tools used to refine and enhance our pictures. The short, chubby and sweet girl next girl has suddenly become a Victoria Secret model in a matter of minutes, #DUCKFACE! The number of selfies people take was probably not forecasted by Systrom and Krieger a few years ago.

Facebook, Twitter, Instagram are just a few of many social media tools given to us to explore.

#Chillin, #Friends, #Homemade #TGIF, #Classic, #Love, #Funny, #YOLO #Swag, #Legendary

Walk into any house party or restaurant and you are likely to find people who are not really interacting with each other. Instead they are staring at their smart phones. As if people forgot how to socially interact with one another. “Taking some time off my grind to chill with friends, #Friends #feelingsoblessed, #Chillin #Goodtimes”.

Technology has made it more affordable to connect with people all over the world. Nowadays no one really has the time or the money to meet up with friends. However, the social platform has pushed us much farther apart by creating the illusion that we are in fact connected. We only highlight the best moments of our days, making it seem as if we are living like rock stars every day. This tends to lead to jealousy which in turn makes you less happy about your life. It drives you to compete with posting better pictures, and posts indicating that you are always on the go. The social platform essentially creates an egocentric environment. It is there for you to make it all about you and your life. It has become our journal to share with people we chose as our audience, #deardiary. Difference is that you create your posts and tweets in a way to get attention. For instance, you are having an ordinary day except that your waiter served you regular lemonade instead of pink lemonade. Your posts would read something like this to draw attention.

“That DID NOT just happen #fml #soannoyed”

Most likely you will receive comments asking for more information and the answer would be something like this;

“Too pissed right now, txt u later”

In reality we are seeking attention which happens to be much easier to obtain via social media. If our goal is to be happy we will in the near future rely more on social media than we do today. Unfortunately the younger generation is trapped in this social media world; it has become their only way of socializing with other people.

 

 

 

174 thoughts on “Hashtag”

  1. Gabriela Bayona

    I enjoyed the attention grabber you used because it is one that has become globally familiar (That of using hashtags.) “Hashtag” as the title of your piece works well and is pretty straight forward for it is illustrated throughout. You wrote about a topic that has become widely familiar in recent years and also the cause of much controversy. Much of what you say is true, I feel like I have the same opinion but however I’m having trouble believing you. Not that I think you’re lying, just that the piece lacks evidence to back up your opinion. You mention, “Walk into any house party or restaurant and you are likely to find people who are not really interacting with each other. Instead they are staring at their smart phones. As if people forgot how to socially interact with one another.” This is the perfect opportunity to flesh this out and make it more personable.

    Write about a time where this has happened to you. I’m sure there are plenty of scenarios that you could write about that will show case the message of your critique. By doing so, not only will the reader feel the piece is more relatable, but it’ll resonate in them a feeling that you know what you’re talking about. When you mention, “We only highlight the best moments of our days, making it seem as if we are living like rock stars every day. This tends to lead to jealousy which in turn makes you less happy about your life.”, give us a reference to some unfortunate story you might have found while doing you’re research that demonstrates the consequences of this jealousy. There is so much more to talk about when discussing the topic of social media. Work on expanding your piece.

    Reply ↓
  2. Orhan Gokkaya

    I agree with status and popularity when it comes to social media websites. The younger generation seek attention which is why they rely solely on social media. You have differing plots in your piece, one is about technology and the other is about social media. I believe your main topic is about social media so you can structure your piece so it doesn’t talk about technology as a whole which is affecting society, rather it talks about social media and how it affects society. You can also add why Hash-tag’s are used, since it is the title of your piece. For example, twitter states that hash-tag’s are used If you want to start a conversation, introduce a hash-tag. If you want to join a conversation already happening on Twitter, find the hash-tag that’s being used. Hash-tags are commonly used at conferences, for television shows, and in discussion of major news events. I believe you are against social media, when you stated, “If our goal is to be happy we will in the near future rely more on social media than we do today. Unfortunately the younger generation is trapped in this social media world; it has become their only way of socializing with other people.” If so you can add more of the cons and damages that social media creates. You can reference to a recent news about the Boston Marathon runner costume that Alicia Ann Lynch wore which blasted criticism all over social media websites.

    Reply ↓
  3. Daniel

    Very good opening.

    Personally I’m sick of twitter. It’s too far. Tweeting is for twits.

    This seems like a “thin” commentary. It almost lacks a voice of the author; the narrator lists many facts and situations where these facts are demonstrated, which is good for credibility. However, I think I’d like to hear more of your take on it. Trash the twits for instance.

    Did you know that with the increase of all this technology, empathy is at an all time low? A friend of mine told me that he’s seen an opposite effect with minorities; they are getting closer because one person speaks up about a common topic and the other people who can relate form tight-nit communities online. Interesting, no?

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  4. Diali Montalvo

    Like our other classmates, I thought your introduction was strong. I feel like you state good points about social media and the way younger generations used these outlets as a means of gaining attention. I feel like there’s so many factors in this topic you could’ve touched on. For instance, it would’ve been nice if you examined the idea that it’s not the end-user who gravitate towards social media for acceptance but rather the owners of media companies who manipulate the generation of the digital age and do what they can to make it that way. Your conclusion could have included something related to hashtags. You set up the scenes in “Hashtag” nicely but didn’t give enough personal opinion. Although it served it’s purpose, the lemonade situation could have been replaced with a personal experience . You also skim the surface of the issue younger generations have with the difference between attention and acceptance. Build on this. This topic is kind of like a base for readers to question the multiple issues of social media.

    Reply ↓
  5. Vanessa

    Not sure about the beginning with the dialogue; it could very well put some people off. I think also instead of starting with “It has become a place where you can go to share your thoughts and feelings” especially using a pronoun, you can try to describe this “place.” Presumably, “it” is the internet and whatever social media outlet is in discussion; this is understood, but starting in this way was confusing for me. You made many good points, some I hoped you would go more into depth with. Those would include: the thirst for attention, technology making it more affordable to connect with people. Here’s an idea: about how people having forgotten how to socially interact with one another–is it because it is easier to hide behind technology, i.e. the comfort and control of communicating with someone behind a phone, taking time to answer, choosing when and who to answer, and not having to face people in person, which is harder to control and easier to leave with many awkward silences? I do hope you elaborate on your point about people forgetting how to interact in person nowadays, such as at parties. Maybe compare it to the way things used to be before all the technology with this point. Good examples, good observations.

    Reply ↓
  6. Henry Bucket

    I liked this piece, but it was a little light. You bring up a bunch of interesting points that should be opened up a bit. It’s clear that you don’t like the way that people don’t interact with each other as much but why? The references you make to different filters, and hashtags are a good nod at the younger generation that this piece is aimed at and it gives you credibility.
    You bring up how we isolate major events in our lives in order to get attention and we can only see these isolated highlights in other people’s lives over facebook. There’s an article about facebook causing depression because of things like this. I would recommend reading it, I think you would like it. I think that you need to put in more personal opinions to make this a truly interesting piece.

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  7. Kerel Cain

    This piece feels incomplete. I want more. Not connecting with people while we use technology to connect with people is a solid theme and thesis for this piece but it doesn’t feel flushed out. I like the use of “texting” lingo but I feel that it was used heavily because there wasn’t enough prose in between them. I would also like some definitions on what some of this lingo means because I didn’t understand a lot of it. This piece was written for people involved in social media because you didn’t explain what hash tagging is. Try and focus this piece on a central argument and set up the piece by explaining the social media world and then make your argument based off of your explanation of what social media is and does. I agree with your opinion but I wish it was more solid: more, more, more.

    Reply ↓
  8. Suresh Ramdhanie

    Some specific scene of you at a specific social setting, restaurant, club, wherever, where guests are too absorbing updating statuses and playing with their phones to be immersed in their environment would be great in establishing a motive for the narrator.
    I agree completely with the social commentary you are making here but I had a hard time understanding what set you off to motive you to write about this topic. Including that scene and your feelings as someone who was not playing with her phone and instead trying to have real interaction with these people who are mentally removed from what they are experiencing would create that motive. Share with us a specific time you encountered this,and your thoughts on it, to make your piece more powerful.
    As Henry explained too, there are studies that link hyperactive social media activity with depression. Do a google search and find some scientific articles that tackle this issue, include it in your paper and you would have a more refined paper and a more compelling argument. It’ll also inform us of why we should care if someone else chooses to play with their phone instead of talk to us- validate our annoyance with the phenomena too.
    Great topic

    Reply ↓
  10. Sergio Narine

    As the piece began, I thought the piece was going to talk about a trivial topic, but as the piece progressed I was drawn in. I really enjoyed the use of the “hashtags” in the beginning because the piece was structured like a news article; however, I felt that the use of “hashtags” in the piece was not necessary. I felt that the topics the narrator spoke about are very prevalent in society, but the narrator needs to narrow their scope to talk about social media, the idea of egocentricity, or the use of photoshopped photos. I felt like the narrative was an “abstract” for a larger 25 page thesis paper. So I would suggest that the piece be expanded by using more examples and maybe the writer can include some outside sources to build credibility.

    I would suggest that the narrator include examples where they observe individuals in society using their mobile devices during intimate settings to show how society is so disconnected. I would like to see the narrator maybe try writing this piece as if it was a journalistic article. I would suggest that the author have a better conclusion because after I finished reading the piece I thought, “so what?” instead of “this is a serious problem.”

    Reply ↓
  11. Amilka

    You chose a good topic to write about. I totally agree with you. Social media has completely taken over. I think you came up with a really good title for this piece. I really like that you used the hashtags in the opening of your piece because it really drew me in ” I’m so annoyed right now #fuckcandycrush”“WTF!! Really tho? Of all days #fml”“Just made my day  #feelingblessed”“#YOLO”. But I also thought that you should have explained what hashtags are and what do they mean.

    I feel like that you should have maybe added a scene after the part “Walk into any house party or restaurant and you are likely to find people who are not really interacting with each other. Instead they are staring at their smart phones. As if people forgot how to socially interact with one another. “Taking some time off my grind to chill with friends, #Friends #feelingsoblessed, #Chillin #Goodtimes”. of how they were interacting and so on….

    Have you found yourself doing this? Why does this bother you?

    Reply ↓
  12. Josie

    I think that the writer should change the title. I do not think that the writer should use hashtags in the paper. I would like to know how the writer’s life would be different without social media. I would like to know more of the writer’s life outside of social media. I do not think that the writer should use curse words in the paper.

    Reply ↓
  13. Alicia Camano

    “Hashtag
    “I’m so annoyed right now #fuckcandycrush”
    “WTF!! Really tho? Of all days #fml”
    “Just made my day #feelingblessed”
    “#YOLO””
    I enjoy the references you make about Hashtag, this topic is relatable to people because this is a comment thing that is viewed in social networks. Enjoy that you added the name of creators of some common social networks such as, “I am sure Zuckerberg, Systrom & Krieger and Dorsey didn’t see all this coming.” If this were not mention I would have never known who were those people. The same reaction I had is the same a lot of people will have in common. A large number of people use those social networks, but never make some time to find information about those people. This demonstrates your knowledge and reliability about the topic that you are discussing.
    I would have to add that I would like to know more information of how that topic of hashtags make you feel. Do you become sick once you see that? Do you start becoming upset? I would like to see more emotions in your piece.

    Reply ↓
  14. David Castro

    First, i think the piece is badly titled. This piece isn’t about hash taggin (i believe half of the people who do use them, use them ironically, anyway). Another thing i didnt understand, is well, its your opinion right? When you make broad claims and sort of force us into your opinion and generalize the audience it makes the reader sort of want to disagree with you, which isnt what you want to happen. Take this for example:

    “In reality we are seeking attention which happens to be much easier to obtain via social media. If our goal is to be happy we will in the near future rely more on social media than we do today. Unfortunately the younger generation is trapped in this social media world; it has become their only way of socializing with other people.”

    – really? im seeking attention. I dont think so.
    – The future? what?
    – come on, its not the ONLY way, how is that even possible?

    ok, i think the topic you are trying to talk about if its social media has changed our definition of intimacy, because anything is socializing right? even if its through a screen. Well, then you would have to define intimacy, and stuff… well idk.

    #hashtag

    Reply ↓
  15. Deviniti Donnabella

    The voice of the narrator is a little confusing for me because I feel that the ideas are a little abstract and not straight to the point. It is not catchy enough for me. I think that this topic is valid but weak because hashtags aren’t real things and they dont seem as important as things like crime or poverty in America.

    Reply ↓
  16. Nadya Antoine

    This piece I feel is off to a great “start”.

    As mentioned in class, there are so much to say about technology and hastagging is simply a minuscule example underneath its umbrella.

    Thus structurally, I think more of your own ideas can be inputted but also mingled with statistics to deem you credible.

    The lines, “Technology has made it more affordable to connect with people all over the world. Nowadays no one really has the time or the money to meet up with friends. However, the social platform has pushed us much farther apart by creating the illusion that we are in fact connected”, are such very bold statements. But without data, evidence and zealous writing, that’s all they will remain. With this I think more thoughts on technology, with statistics and transition words and sentences would strengthen the piece quite a bit.

    Reply ↓
  17. Li Huang

    We all want to express ourselves with as simple a formula as we can. I believe that’s why hashtags’ were coined. why is there a bell on our bicycles? A honking mechanism to every steering wheel? Because we are too lazy to even say “Get out of my way!” or “Watch out!” every time someone crosses our borders. Humans are very simpleminded and with the digital age and “blogging” well under way, it should be no surprise that we have something by the name of your title.

    Reply ↓
  18. Krystal Temple

    I love the overall theme of this piece, which seems to be that this obsession with #hash-tagging and social media has actually ironically brought us farther apart. Instead of connecting through these hash-tags, we have become so consumed by them that we are farther apart. The piece seemed to have a random form, which works because it connects to the overall theme of the piece. However, I was a little confused with your opening. It’s great to give examples of #hash-tagging in the beginning, to establish your #hash-tag creditability, however you begin by saying it’s a platform. I was a little unclear as to what this platform was – and you later mention social media as the platform, so I believe that this connection could have been made earlier on in the piece. This would erase confusion for the reader that is not as familiar with social media. Also, you give very general examples of this, and I wanted to see a personal scene. I wanted to see how #hash-tagging has affected you! #Greatpiece!

    Reply ↓
  19. Joan Infante

    Great job with this piece and a very interesting topic that you chose.

    I very much appreciated the examples that you gave of hashtags and the stupid reasons why people use it in the first place.

    The piece felt a little short but including something about the medias exaggeration of hashtagging and their need to use this to communicate with their viewers. You can also point out the positives in that, but we both know that the disadvantages outweigh the advantages.

    Loved the quote “A place where you can tell who cares and who doesn’t.” Especially since its mostly the latter.

    Reply ↓
  20. Julianne Reynoso

    I started wondering when the term changed to ‘hashtag’ from ‘pound’ as I recall it and thought that perhaps that could have been something interesting to add in your piece. I think that the piece can go deeper than this as it starts a conversation about the generation that can’t express themselves normally/has forgotten how to socially interact with each other. If you expanded your piece, you could analyze how the effect of ‘social’ media has crippled us and turned everyone into #monsters and somehow connect that with the inability to live in the moment.

    Reply ↓
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