Chris Messina, inventor of hashtags, quits Twitter, blames Musk's mismanagement
Chris Messina quits Twitter
Twitter's inventor of the hashtags that are used to categorise messages has quit the platform, claiming Elon Muskmismanaged it.Following the loss of his verification badge, Chris Messina, who in 2007 suggested Twitter begin using hashtags to organise tweets by topic or event, said goodbye to the platform this weekend.
Twitter has also begun the process of deleting the legacy blue ticksthis month, and users who wantto retainthem would have to start paying $8 per month for a Twitter Blue subscription.
"My choice isn't about the badge; it's about everything that lead up to the badge and how it has been handled. Whatever Twitter was before deserved more dignity and consideration than it's received in the last six months," Messina tweeted, as reported by The Verge.
Birth of the hashtag
In 2007, Messina proposed the concept of hashtags, which allowed users to look up topics by using the hash sign (#). On a number of social media sites, including Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram, the concept gained considerable traction. The hashtag allows quick subject searches for users and helps in extending the reach of posts. Trending hashtags are now shown in real time in a separate section on Twitter.
Additionally, hashtags can be used to filter outthe most popular, most recent, photographs, and videos relating to a specific topic.
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Elon Musk may not be the biggest fan of hashtags
Twitter CEO Elon Musk has made itclearthat he hates hashtags. While replying to an image that had a tweet created by ChatGPT on SpaceX, the tweet had hashtags and Musk replied with a tweet suggesting he doesn’t use hashtags.
The Twitterati began to speculate following Musk's remark on whether he would ban hashtags from Twitter altogether.
Disappearance of the blue tick
The "Twitter Blue" paid subscription service, a premium version of the microblogging site, has taken the place of the previous blue checkmarks used on Twitter to signify a verified prominent person.
ALSO WATCH |Many high-profile users lose verification symbol on Twitter
The change which came into effect late on Thursday night (April 20)was announced just two weeks after Elon Musk took over Twitter.As a result, many high-profile users who decidednot to pay for the subscription have lost their verified status or blue ticks.
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