Talk:Chris Messina (inventor)

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...

Technically my job title is "Developer Experience Lead" at Uber. This is essentially a developer advocacy role. I do not "enforce the terms and conditions of Uber's proprietary APIs." The role of enforcing our terms belongs to our legal staff; I am merely the messenger. Additionally, like most developer platforms, we require developers to agree to a set of terms and services in order to use the API. This is not unusual, so it seems like a strange aspect of the work I do to highlight. --Factoryjoe (talk) 11 June 2016 —Preceding undated comment added 05:26, 12 June 2016 (UTC)[reply]

There's now been an article in the New York Times about the origins of the hashtag that might be worth adding as a citation: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/12/fashion/hashtags-a-new-way-for-tweets-cultural-studies.html?pagewanted=all --Factoryjoe (talk) 23:37, 26 July 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Done Steven Walling • talk 01:51, 27 July 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Please note that I no longer work for Vidoop as of May 2009. Factoryjoe (talk) 14:30, 2 June 2009 (UTC)[reply]

A couple clarifications — I still run Citizen Agency and do independent consulting as time allows. Tara and Ben no longer work for Citizen Agency, either. For more press references, you might check out my personal wiki: http://wiki.factoryjoe.com/Press

Factoryjoe (talk) 23:35, 9 March 2009 (UTC)Chris Messina[reply]

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Requested move 19 December 2018

The following is a closed discussion of a requested move. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made in a new section on the talk page. Editors desiring to contest the closing decision should consider a move review after discussing it on the closer's talk page. No further edits should be made to this section.

The result of the move request was: not moved (closed by non-admin page mover) SITH (talk) 15:07, 26 December 2018 (UTC)[reply]

Chris Messina (open-source advocate) → Chris Messina (Inventor of the Hashtag) – more important achievement than being an open-source advocate. and also to distinguish him from the actor Chris Messina Editoroftheinterwebz (talk) 11:59, 19 December 2018 (UTC)[reply]

This is a contested technical request (permalink). -- Alex^TW 12:19, 19 December 2018 (UTC)[reply]

Oppose and small i small h if moved. In ictu oculi (talk) 14:53, 20 December 2018 (UTC)[reply]
Oppose, already disambiguated from the actor, and it is more standard and dignified to disambiguate by occupation rather than a quirky claim to fame. --Animalparty! (talk) 01:56, 22 December 2018 (UTC)[reply]

The above discussion is preserved as an archive of a requested move. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made in a new section on this talk page or in a move review. No further edits should be made to this section.

Smithsonian link incorrect?

The article at reference [6] only seems to support the "eavesdropping" comparison: " Hashtags have since been referred to as the "eavesdroppers", "wormholes", "time-machines", and "veins" of the internet.[6]" 76.119.114.192 (talk) 22:15, 2 June 2019 (UTC)[reply]

Hashtags: Invention vs. Advocacy

I recently made edits to highlight Sylvain Carle's early documented use of the #barcamp hashtag on Twitter, which predates Chris Messina's formal proposal for the systematic adoption of hashtags as a grouping mechanism. These edits were reverted. I am seeking additional context and feedback to ensure the inclusion of this information adheres to Wikipedia's standards, particularly in terms of sourcing and neutrality.

Context for the Edit

The historical narrative of the hashtag’s development frequently credits Chris Messina with its "invention." However, a closer examination reveals that Messina’s role is more appropriately described as advocacy for its widespread adoption, rather than the invention of the concept. Messina proposed and popularized the systematic use of hashtags for organizing content, which had a profound impact on their adoption across social media platforms.

At the same time, Sylvain Carle’s documented use of the #barcamp hashtag on Twitter predates Messina’s proposal. This indicates that the use of hashtags as a tool for grouping conversations emerged organically and independently of Messina’s formalization. Carle’s use demonstrates a real-world application of hashtags as a practical tool, rather than a conceptual idea awaiting development.

This broader context suggests that the hashtag evolved through a process of iterative development and user-driven innovation, rather than being invented by a single individual.

Distinction Between Invention and Advocacy

To accurately contextualize the contributions of both Sylvain Carle and Chris Messina, it is necessary to distinguish between invention and advocacy:

Invention: Refers to the creation of a new concept, tool, or mechanism. In this case, the hashtag’s use as a grouping tool appears to have organically emerged through user innovation, as demonstrated by Carle’s documented application and other possible undocumented uses. The "#" symbol itself predates both Carle and Messina, further complicating claims of singular invention.
Advocacy: Refers to the promotion, formalization, and popularization of an existing concept. Messina’s contribution lies in recognizing the potential of hashtags as a systematic organizational tool and advocating for their adoption on Twitter and beyond. His 2007 proposal introduced a framework for how hashtags could be used more broadly, transforming a grassroots practice into a formalized system.

Messina’s advocacy was undoubtedly significant in driving the widespread adoption of hashtags, but this does not equate to invention. To label Messina as the "inventor" risks oversimplifying the hashtag’s history and erasing prior contributions, such as Carle’s early use and the symbol’s broader digital history.

Proposed Adjustments to the Narrative

To provide a more accurate and nuanced history of the hashtag, the narrative should reflect its collaborative and evolutionary development:

Early Usage: Recognize Carle’s documented use of the #barcamp hashtag on Twitter as an example of its organic emergence.
Advocacy and Formalization: Highlight Messina’s role in championing hashtags as a systematic tool for organizing content and promoting their adoption.

This distinction provides clarity and avoids conflating invention with advocacy, ensuring that the contributions of various individuals and contexts are accurately represented.

Next Steps

To strengthen the edits and ensure compliance with Wikipedia’s guidelines:

Additional reliable sources will be sought to support Carle’s early use of the hashtag, such as archived tweets.
Input from other editors on structuring this information is welcome, including whether a dedicated section (e.g., “Origins of the Hashtag”) would be suitable.
Suggestions on refining the language to ensure neutrality and balance in the presentation of these contributions are appreciated.

By framing Messina’s contribution as advocacy for the systematic adoption of hashtags, rather than invention, and acknowledging Carle’s earlier documented use of the #barcamp hashtag, Wikipedia can present a more comprehensive and balanced history of the hashtag’s development. This approach ensures that the narrative reflects the collaborative and iterative nature of innovation, avoiding oversimplified attributions. Perspicaciousonion (talk) 19:32, 28 November 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Our article states that Chris Messina "posted the first hashtag on Twitter" but that is not supported by our sources (see https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/decade-ago-hashtag-reshaped-internet-180964605/ for example). The "when Messina first introduced the hashtag on Twitter" cannot be taken as a definitive claim of the the first overall Twitter usage since it can also be interpreted as simply meaning the first time he used a hashtag on Twitter. What the sources do say is that he is the person who "suggested using the pound sign as an indicator to group tweets around a common name" and that Stowe Boyd was the first to label "#" a "hashtag" on Twitter. I don't think it's particularly important who first used one since it didn't catch on from any earlier usages, but if that claim does go in then it needs to be reliably sourced. Meters (talk) 23:21, 28 November 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Proposal to revise/remove "inventor of the hashtag" from lead

The current article describes Chris Messina as the inventor of the hashtag, which is an oversimplification and not fully supported by the historical context or recent scholarship. I propose removing the term inventor from the lead and revising it to reflect a more accurate portrayal of his role.

Reasons

1. Prior Use of the Hashtag Symbol

The octothorpe (#) was used in online and computing contexts well before Messina’s 2007 proposal. This includes:

IRC (Internet Relay Chat), where # was used for channel names (e.g., #general)
Flickr (pre-2007), which supported user-defined tags for discoverability — conceptually similar to hashtags
Other early tagging systems and folksonomies on platforms like Delicious and Technorati

2. Messina’s Original Proposal Differs from Modern Hashtag Use

Messina’s 2007 tweet and blog post proposed hashtags as a way to organize group conversations (e.g., for events like #barcamp). He intended them more for contextual grouping than for the broader discoverability, memeification, and cultural signaling that characterize hashtag use today.

3. Scholarly Reassessment of Messina's Role

Digital media researcher Stijn Peters of the University of Amsterdam questions the simplification of calling Messina the “originator” of the hashtag. In his 2023 academic article, Analyzing Online Expression Affordances on IRC and Twitter, he writes:

Chris Messina’s role is, as I will describe in this section, more complicated than the label "originator" might suggest, and a more comprehensive and empirical appraisal of the various factors contributing to the inception and eventual success of – among other features – the hashtag can thus offer a valuable contribution to both earlier analysis of this theme as well as the overall objective of this section of thoroughly investigating the dynamic between a platform and the people using it.

Source: Peters, Stijn. Analyzing Online Expression Affordances on IRC and Twitter. University of Amsterdam, 2023. Published via Ego Media. [1](https://pure.uva.nl/ws/files/134936584/Ego_Media_Life_Writing_and_Online_Affordances.pdf)

Suggested Revision

Instead of calling Messina the "inventor of the hashtag," I suggest something more historically accurate, such as:

Chris Messina proposed using hashtags on Twitter for topic-based grouping of conversations, a practice that helped popularize the symbol’s use in social media.

This revision maintains a neutral point of view and reflects Wikipedia’s core content policies, including WP:NPOV and WP:V.

Feedback welcome.

Perspicaciousonion (talk) 23:14, 26 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

@Meters I meant to reply to your comment but think it would be good to continue this discussion here, adding you for visibility. Perspicaciousonion (talk) 02:38, 27 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

I'm also fine with a page name change, I just thought "open source advocate" was a pretty terrible disambiguator. PhotographyEdits (talk) 08:11, 27 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

I’d like to add a broader contextual point in support of revising the use of the word “inventor” in reference to Chris Messina. The persistent repetition of this label in media and online spaces appears to be a case study in the illusory truth effect — a cognitive bias in which a claim, through frequent repetition, comes to be perceived as truth, even in the absence of strong evidentiary support.

This effect becomes particularly concerning when combined with narrative bias (our tendency to simplify complex events into singular origin stories), media echo chambers (where blogs and outlets cross-cite without original sourcing), and source amnesia (where repetition is mistaken for credibility). Over time, the label “inventor” becomes an unchallenged assumption — not because it is historically accurate, but because it has been repeated into familiarity. Even well-meaning journalists may unknowingly repeat it without investigating whether it reflects the full picture of the hashtag’s evolution, which includes long-standing uses in IRC, folksonomies, Flickr, and metadata tagging systems well before Twitter.

This is exactly why Wikipedia must maintain a different standard than media or press. Unlike those platforms, Wikipedia is governed by core principles such as Neutral Point of View, Verifiability, and No Original Research. That includes valuing archival artifacts, open-access sources, and scholarly reassessments over catchy but potentially inaccurate narratives.

A further example of this narrative distortion is the case of Sylvain Carle, a co-organizer of BarCamp Montreal, who appears to have been the first person to actually use the #barcamp hashtag on Twitter — and did so before Chris Messina publicly proposed the idea. While the tweet is in French, it is contextually tied to BarCamp Montreal, and should not be overlooked simply because it is not in English. To dismiss it would reflect a subtle form of anglophone bias that minimizes non-English contributions to internet history. This tweet exists, is timestamped, and is publicly searchable — it is an artifact in its own right.

Carle later worked at Twitter as a Senior Developer Advocate (2012–2014), and yet his role in hashtag history has been completely excluded from dominant narratives. Meanwhile, Wikipedia continues to cite Messina’s own tweet as the origin point, while dismissing equally verifiable archival tweets that contradict this framing. This is an inconsistency in sourcing standards and reinforces the very illusory truth effect we should be guarding against.

If Wikipedia is committed to truth over repetition, we must revise the article to state that Messina popularized the idea of using hashtags on Twitter, but did not invent the hashtag symbol, the tagging concept, or even use it first on the platform. That distinction matters — and Wikipedia is uniquely positioned to uphold historical accuracy over media-driven myth. Perspicaciousonion (talk) 20:44, 27 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]