Teens and tweens are all over social media; Snapchat, Tumblr, and Instagram seem to be the most popular in my area. You don’t need to understand where hashtags (#) came from to see them in use or even loosely learn how to use them. It seems simple enough to use that you may see them everywhere you go on the internet and even while watching TV. These little markers are trying to connect an audience to topics they may find interesting or important through your favorite social media platforms.
Most teens and tweens may be going a little overboard with their tagging, using the hashtags to portray every little part of the narratives they’re creating online. This can be overwhelming for those of us who may not have grown up with technology in every aspect of our lives. Don’t be frightened away from using hashtags, especially while trying to reach this age group to connect them to libraries! Just remember when tagging your social media posts to use the hashtag to tell what the post is actually about, such as creating a tag with your library’s initials and the word teens (ex: #DKLYteens) and encourage your attendees to post pictures to their favorite social media using that hashtag.