We sure love our hashtags. They make our posts searchable, increase our likes and followers (in most cases), and help us get in on the latest trending topics. Much like everything else cool, however, hashtags are prone to abuse.
You have probably seen users with the hashtag overload (#why #must #they #tag #everything) and the lengthy hashtag (#thisphraseistoolongforahashtagitmakesnosense) syndromes. They are irritating no doubt about that, but excessive hashtags are not the only ones that can make us pull our hair out in annoyance.
Sometimes, simple hashtags that used to be cool become absolutely unbearable—usually when they are used out of context. Do your followers a favor, and make sure you retire these poor, overused, and abused hashtags.
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#blessed
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This hashtag was meant to be used comically and ironically, but a lot of users take #blessed to mean they can be social media humblebrags. It's not cool to rub on everyone else's faces how you can afford to go shopping for the most luxurious things almost every day, especially when there are a lot of other people in need. -
#yolo
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#yolo was cool once, until everyone shortchanged its meaning. #yolo is supposed to inspire people to be bold, adventurous, and daring to take on new challenges. Now, users just post #yolo to show how supposedly cool they are while partying all night. -
#selfie
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Posting a close-up photo of your face for the nth time and tagging it with #selfie can be annoying to some of your followers. There's already a lot of selfies out there (and they can be too much to bear sometimes), so maybe you should focus on sharing other pictures. -
#nofilter
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Seriously, just stop saying #nofilter when there's obviously filter used in your photos. Your followers are so much smarter than that. There's nothing wrong in editing your photos; we all know how subpar camera phone shots can be at times. -
#iwokeuplikethis
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You cannot have possibly woken up with makeup, unless you slept in it (which is a bad, bad practice!). If you really want to show people how you look like after waking up, then be true about it. If it's something you'd rather not share, then just don't attempt to use the hashtag. -
#sorrynotsorry
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This is another hashtag for humblebrags. You're not sorry for being such a showoff on social media? Most likely your followers will be the ones feeling sorry for you. -
#justsaying
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Let's face it: Sometimes, people on the Internet barely care about what we have to say. And in this case, we might as well just say what we want to say straight up. No need for a hashtag. -
#thisiswhyimfat
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This hashtag can confuse your followers. You know that greasy burger makes you fat and yet you give in to it? At some point, it may even seem like you're fishing for compliments. Of course, you're not fat! And, of course, your close friends and followers will tell you that. -
#likeforlike and #followforfollow
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Hashtags like these sound desperate. Would you really want to trade likes and follows with strangers, or would you rather gain followers and friends who are genuinely interested in the things you post? Plus, these hashtags can just clutter your account with spammers and dubious accounts. -
#instagood and pretty much #insta everything
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We don't know exactly when it started, but "insta" has become a prefix for just about anything. #instagood, #instafun, #instafood, #instafriends, #instacool, the list goes on! Can we just go back to calling things what they really are?