Film buffs from Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh and Kerala were among the most passionate communities on Twitter, with hashtags related to South Indian movies and movie stars dominating the top 10 most tweeted hashtags of 2021 so far.
Six of the top 10 hashtags were related to entertainment from South India: #valimai, #master, #sarkaruvaaripaata, #ajithkumar, #thalapathy65 and #vakeelsaab.
Other fandoms were not far behind. The new and soaring popularity of Korean Pop (#Kpop) in India was reflected in the hashtags, with K-pop band #bts grabbing a spot on the list.
Along with the BTS Army, other music fans were also celebrating their idol’s wins at the #iheartawards. #BiggBoss fans also made themselves heard, with contestant #RubinaDilaik being the seventh most tweeted hashtag.
In the midst of all of this, a theme that continues to be consistent was the pandemic, represented by the hashtag #covid19. In India, the second wave of the pandemic saw a new movement rising on Twitter — with the service becoming a real-time lifeline for those in need. During this time, the social media platform saw a 1,336% increase in tweets around seeking or providing medical help.
Born on Twitter in 2007, the hashtag celebrated its 14th anniversary on August 23rd, otherwise known as #HashtagDay. On this day, Chris Messina (@chrismessina) tweeted #barcamp, the first time a hashtag was ever used on Twitter.
Over the years, it has evolved from a user-created way to categorise or ‘tag’ tweets to become part of our everyday speech, changing the nature of communication online and becoming one of the most influential symbols of the digital age.
Published 24 August 2021, 22:36 IST