Hashtags in 2025?

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For years, hashtags have been the bread and butter of social media strategy. They’ve been the beacon for discoverability, a rallying point for campaigns, and a critical component of content categorization. Yet, as platforms evolve, this once-powerful tool is beginning to lose its relevance.

The most recent evidence? Instagram’s announcement that starting December 13, hashtags you follow will no longer appear in your feed, and you won’t be able to follow more of them. This decision marks a seismic shift in how content discovery works on social platforms.

But why is this happening, and what does it mean for creators, marketers, and brands? Let’s explore the why, what, and what’s next for hashtags across LinkedIn, Instagram, Twitter (X), and beyond.

A Brief History of Hashtags

The hashtag (#) originated on Twitter in 2007 as a way to group conversations around specific topics. Chris Messina, a tech evangelist, suggested using the pound symbol to organize tweets, and the rest is history. By 2010, hashtags were a global phenomenon, adopted by Instagram, LinkedIn, and eventually Facebook.

For nearly a decade, hashtags reigned supreme. But over the last few years, this reliance on hashtags has waned. Platforms are now powered by algorithms that prioritize behavioral data and AI-driven personalization over keyword-based discovery.

Why Are Hashtags Losing Relevance?

Change in Algorithms:

The biggest reason hashtags are fading is the dominance of AI-driven recommendation engines. Instagram’s Explore page and Reels algorithm are no longer keyword-centric. Instead, they rely on user preferences, time spent on posts, and interaction patterns to deliver content. LinkedIn, similarly, focuses on who you engage with rather than the hashtags you follow. This shift ensures platforms can deliver hyper-personalized feeds, keeping users engaged longer.

Spammy Behavior:

Hashtags have become victims of their success. Over time, they’ve been overused and misused. Creators stuffed posts with irrelevant hashtags (#LikeForLike, #InstaGood) in the hopes of increasing visibility. Bots and low-quality accounts hijacked popular tags, flooding them with spam. This diluted their value, making hashtags less effective as discovery tools.

Evolving User Behavior

As platforms introduced smarter algorithms, users stopped relying on hashtags to find content. Instead, they trusted the recommendations served to them via feeds, Explore pages, or trending sections.

Instagram: The Beginning of the End for Hashtags

Instagram’s decision to remove hashtag followability is a natural progression. The platform’s AI capabilities now make it unnecessary for users to follow hashtags to discover content.

What Does This Mean for Marketers?

? Stop relying on hashtag strategies for reach. Instead, focus on content formats (Reels, carousels) and timely trends that Instagram is actively promoting.

? Build a stronger connection with your audience through captivating visuals and AI-friendly captions that incorporate keywords naturally.

LinkedIn: Quality Over Quantity

On LinkedIn, hashtags still exist but have largely taken a backseat. A well-written post on leadership with a few relevant hashtags (#Leadership, #Innovation) can perform well, but the platform’s algorithm prioritizes engagement quality over the hashtags used.

Strategies for LinkedIn:

? Focus on starting conversations. Ask thought-provoking questions, share personal stories, or provide actionable insights.

? Use hashtags sparingly. Actually, it's of zero use.

? Leverage personal branding by interacting with your audience rather than relying on keyword discovery.

Twitter (X): Hashtags Still Hold Their Ground

Twitter is one of the last bastions where hashtags remain relevant. Why? Because its identity revolves around real-time conversations and trending topics. Events like the FIFA World Cup or a major political election rely heavily on hashtags to unify global discussions.

Actionable Steps for Your 2025 Strategy

The decline of hashtags isn’t the death of discoverability—it’s an evolution. As algorithms and user behavior change, so must our strategies. The key is to focus on creating valuable, authentic, and engaging content that resonates with your audience, regardless of the tools available.

Hashtags were once the lighthouse in a vast sea of content. Now, the tide has turned, and the challenge is to build bridges directly to your audience through smarter, more personalized approaches.

Here are the interesting posts from the past week if you missed it:

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