2020 was the year activists mastered hashtag flooding Image: mashable composite: Markus Gann / EyeEm via getty images 2020-12-30 11:00:00 UTC A lone hashtag might not look very mighty, but when used en masse, the symbols can become incredibly powerful activism tools. Over the past two decades â largely since product designer Chris Messina pitched hashtags to Twitter in 2007 â activists have learned to harness the symbols to form online communities, raise awareness on pressing issues, organize protests, shape digital narratives, and redirect social media discourse. On any given day, a series of hashtags are spotlighted in "Trending" section of Twitter. The hashtags featured are those that have gained traction online and reflect topics being heavily discussed in the moment. More often than not, a trending hashtag's popularity is organic, but a hashtag's origin and initial purpose can become clouded when people partake in a clever tactic called hashtag flooding.