Interviewed on the CBC Radio Show “Q with Jian Ghomeshi” about the ascent of the hashtag. (Mar. 26, 2013)
Linguist Ben Zimmer was on the show today to talk about hashtag mania, its popularity, usage, and future. Whether you’re on Twitter or not, it’s hard to escape the rise of the # in common English usage. Hashtag expressions are used in print articles, online memes, photos on Instagram, and even in speech (as witnessed at this year’s Grammys.) Even Facebook might soon incorporate hashtags into your newsfeed.