Hashtags at 18: What They’ve Meant for Healthcare and Advocacy

Today is International Hashtag Day, and it also marks the hashtag’s 18th birthday. What began as a niche idea on Twitter in 2007 is now part of how healthcare professionals, patient advocates, and communities connect, learn, and campaign for change.

The Birth of the Hashtag

On 23 August 2007, Chris Messina suggested using the # symbol to group conversations on Twitter. Initially dismissed as “too nerdy,” the idea caught on when people began using hashtags to share updates during the San Diego wildfires later that year. By 2009, Twitter had made hashtags clickable, and soon they spread to Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, and TikTok.

Since then, hashtags have become cultural shorthand. They’ve carried lighthearted trends (#ThrowbackThursday), breaking news, and, importantly, social movements (#MeToo, #BlackLivesMatter).

Hashtags in Healthcare

In healthcare, hashtags have served as digital gathering places. Movements like #ILookLikeASurgeon challenged stereotypes and celebrated diversity in surgery. #MedTwitter, #CardioTwitter, and #IDTwitter have connected clinicians and patients across the world, enabling rapid sharing of evidence, insights, and professional solidarity.

Hashtags also underpin #FOAMed (Free Open Access Medical Education), where health professionals use tags to curate and share open educational resources. During the COVID-19 pandemic, hashtags provided real-time access to emerging research and peer commentary.

The Risks

As with any tool, hashtags are not without risks. They can be used performatively, with little action behind them. They can create echo chambers, exclude certain voices, or be hijacked for misinformation. Yet when used with intention, they remain a powerful part of digital health communication.

Hashtags at 18: Coming of Age in Healthcare

Eighteen often marks adulthood — a moment when identity and responsibility converge. Hashtags, too, have reached that stage. Algorithms may increasingly shape what people see, but hashtags still serve as anchors for visibility, belonging, and collective voice.

For healthcare professionals and advocates, they remain one of the simplest yet most effective tools for connecting communities, amplifying trusted information, and driving meaningful change.

So here’s a question to mark the hashtag’s 18th birthday: What hashtag has shaped you the most — whether it made you laugh, taught you something new, or gave you a sense of belonging?