Hashtags have been around since 2007, and in that time they’ve become a key method of content discovery across the internet. They are a powerful, flexible, crowd-sourced index for content, giving platform members the ability to align with topics they care about. This flexibility, however, can also be their greatest weakness.

You’ve likely seen posts with totally unrelated hashtags, or others filled with dozens upon dozens of them (known as ‘hashtag stuffing’). Both are a surefire way to make your content look spammy, or even worse, deceptive.

How can platforms empower members in their content discovery journey? Is it better for themes to organically emerge from the way members tag their content, or do clear structures and hierarchies set by the platform make it easier to navigate? Is there a middle ground that provides the best of both worlds, and if so, how would that look to you?

Let us know in the comments!