A hashtag is a metadata tag that is prefaced by the hash symbol, #. Hashtags are widely used on microblogging and photo-sharing services such as Twitter and Instagram as a form of user-generated tagging that enables cross-referencing of content sharing a subject or theme. For example, a search within Instagram for the hashtag #bluesky returns all posts that have been tagged with that hashtag. After the initial hash symbol, a hashtag may include letters, digits, and underscores. The use of hashtags was first proposed by Chris Messina in a 2007 tweet, that, although initially decried by Twitter as a "thing for nerds," eventually led to their use rapidly becoming widespread throughout the platform. Messina, who made no attempt to patent the use because he felt "they were born of the internet, and owned by no one", has subsequently been credited as the godfather of the hashtag.
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