New Facebook Feature: #Hashtags

Hashtags for trending topics are widely used on social media sites like Twitter and Instagram. On these sites hashtags are clickable links that show what others have posted about a particular topic. However, until this week one of the most popular networking sites, Facebook, allowed users to include hashtags in posts, but they did not link to anything.

The new hashtag feature on Facebook will allow users to see a feed of posts tagged with the same hashtag. Users will also be able to use the search bar to view whatever hashtag they want in a separate hashtag feed. This will allow them to connect to the wider Facebook community instead of just their friends. It can also be used as a marketing tool for companies by including industry keywords in hashtags or to promote an event in a similar way to Twitter.

While both are popular social networking sites, Twitter’s focus is to keep users updated on relevant topics and Facebook focuses more on connecting with others. However, now that Facebook can also be used to view trending topics, do you think the use of Twitter will become obsolete?