#EnoughWithTheHashtags

These days, it seems like you can't watch television without being shown all sorts of hashtags. I'm not talking about commercials. A lot of shows bombard viewers with hashtags in hope that they can get viewers talking about the show.


While I get that the use of hashtags can provide a cheap opportunity to get viewers to advertise their show, it has taken a serious toll on entertainment. The shows themselves are becoming secondary to social networking. I would rather see all of what's happening or perhaps information that is actually relevant than to have the screen littered with the network's ideas about what you should be saying online.

I have a bit of a love-hate relationship with American Ninja Warrior. I love the idea but I hate NBC's execution. Like many viewers, I prefer the Japanese version of the show. Among the problems I have are the hashtags that I am discussing.

One of my frustrations with American Ninja Warrior is their excessive use of hashtags and Twitter ID's. It's pretty much to the point where you know someone can't do well if they are using a generic hashtag instead of their own. To make matters worse, their hashtags aren't clever. Almost everyone is referred to as fill-in-the-blank ninja.

I am not complaining about the existence of hashtags. They have their value. I would personally love to see the emergence of #ProudlyProEd for discussions that dare to put education above schooling. The problem is that people are going overboard. Hashtags are moving away from a way to find related posts and toward a marketing gimmick.

This approach to hashtags has led to a joke that I keep saying. Whenever I see a show that goes too far, I say, "#EnoughWithTheHashtags." I don't have much of a social presence, and this is actually only the second time I have actually typed it in. The title was the first. Personally, I would not be offended if you use this one yourself.