Twitter has widely made popular the use of hashtags, it is an ingenious way of pulling together all conversations regarding any particular topic. Many service employ hashtags to make it easier for their users to search or discover content, these include Tumblr, Pinterest, Instagram and more. Facebook has kept itself out of the fray for quite some time now, though today it finally announced that hashtags will now be clickable across the world’s largest social network.
Facebook says that hashtags will now allow you to add context to a post or “indicate that it is part of a larger discussion.” Clicking on a hashtag will bring up a feed that will display what other Facebook users or Pages are talking about that particular hashtag. Users will also be able to search specific hashtags from the search bar or compose their own updates directly from search results and the hashtag feed.
Those hashtags that originate from other services like Instagram, they will be clickable as well. Folks concerned with privacy will find solace in the fact that a user will control the audience of a hashtag, just like they would control the audience for a regular Facebook post. The feature is reportedly limited to Facebook’s website at the moment, with support for mobile coming soon.