The most popular hashtag in 2020 was #BlackLivesMatter. This hashtag became popular after the death of George Floyd, a black man who was killed by a white police officer in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The #BlackLivesMatter movement became a way for people to speak out against racial injustice and police brutality.
BlackLivesMatter. An international movement that first mobilised on Twitter, working towards creating a fairer society for black people
#BlackLivesMatter is an international movement that first gained traction on Twitter, working towards creating a fairer society for black people. The hashtag was used over 50 million times in 2020 alone, making it the most popular of the year.
The movement has its origins in 2013, when George Zimmerman was acquitted of the murder of Trayvon Martin – an unarmed black teenager. In the wake of this decision, three women – Alicia Garza, Patrisse Cullors and Opal Tometi – created #BlackLivesMatter as a response.
Since then, the movement has gone from strength to strength. In 2014, #BlackLivesMatter protests erupted across America following the shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri. And in 2020, the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police sparked fresh outrage and renewed calls for change.
The #BlackLivesMatter movement has always been about more than just individual incidents of police brutality or racism; it’s about addressing systematic inequalities that exist within our societies. From education and employment to housing and healthcare, black people are disproportionately disadvantaged in many areas of life. The Movement for Black Lives – an umbrella organisation for over 150 different groups fighting for racial justice – outlines a comprehensive set of policy demands that would begin to address some of these inequalities.
But real change will only come about when we challenge our own preconceptions and biases around race. It’s not enough to simply not be racist; we must be actively anti-racist in everything we do. This means speaking up when we see or hear something that isn’t right, educating ourselves and others on issues relating to race and racism, and using our privilege to amplify black voices rather than silencing them.
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The #BlackLivesMatter movement has brought these issues into sharp focus over the past seven years; now it’s up to us to ensure that real progress is made towards achieving racial equality.”
CupforBen. The hashtag that touched the world
On May 26, 2020, the hashtag #CupforBen began trending on Twitter after a young boy named Ben Breedlove posted a video to YouTube in which he shared his story of living with a heart condition. The video went viral and the hashtag #CupforBen was born. The hashtag was used to raise awareness for congenital heart defects and to show support for those affected by them.
Ben Breedlove was born with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, a condition that causes the heart muscle to thicken and makes it difficult for the heart to pump blood. In 2011, at the age of 11, Ben underwent open-heart surgery to correct his condition. Despite this, his health continued to decline and he was later diagnosed with severe congestive heart failure.
In October of 2017, at the age of 18, Ben suffered a sudden cardiac arrest while at home with his family. He was revived by paramedics and taken to the hospital where he remained in critical condition for several days. After being released from the hospital, Ben began sharing his story online in an effort to raise awareness about congenital heart defects and sudden cardiac arrest.
It was through these videos that Ben touched the hearts of people all over the world. His positivity and outlook on life despite all that he had been through inspired others who were facing their own challenges. In one of his last videos, posted just days before his death, Ben spoke about how grateful he was for all of the love and support he had received from strangers since sharing his story online. He ended the video by saying: “I know there’s so much more out there for me.”
On December 25th, 2017, just two months after posting his final video, Ben passed away peacefully in his sleep at home surrounded by loved ones. He was 20 years old.
Brexit
The debate over Brexit came to a head in June 2016 when a referendum was held on whether or not to leave the EU. The vote was close, but ultimately 52% of people voted in favor of Brexit. This resulted in months of negotiations between the UK and EU, as both sides tried to reach an agreement on how Brexit would work in practice. Eventually, an agreement was reached and on January 31 s t 2020, Britain officially left the European Union.
Since then, there has been much discussion about what Brexit will mean for both Britain and Europe going forward. There are many unanswered questions about trade agreements, border controls and other issues which need to be resolved before things can return to normal. In spite of all this uncertainty though, Britain has now begun its journey outside of the EU and there is no turning back.
EdBallsDay
On April 28th, 2020, the hashtag #EdBallsDay trended on Twitter in the United Kingdom. The day is named after Ed Balls, a former Labour politician who was Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer from 2011 to 2015.
The day began trending after a tweet by user @harrisonjbrooke, who shared a photo of Balls dancing at a music festival in 2013 with the caption “It’s that time of year again… #EdBallsDay”. The tweet went viral and has since been liked over 100,000 times.
Since then, the hashtag has been used annually to celebrate the day and share memes and GIFs of Balls dancing. In 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many people used the hashtag to share videos of themselves dancing in their homes as part of the “#stayathome” campaign.
The origins of Ed Balls Day are unclear but it is thought to have started as an inside joke among Labour Party supporters. It has been suggested that the day may have been started by journalist Owen Jones who tweet ed about it in 2012. #EdBallsDay has become an annual tradition for many Twitter users and is a fun way to celebrate one of Britain’s most well-known politicians.
FollowFriday (#FF)
#FollowFriday, or #FF for short, is a weekly social media tradition that encourages users to follow other users who they find interesting or valuable. The practice began on Twitter, but has since spread to other platforms like Instagram and Facebook.
On Fridays, users share the profiles of other users they recommend following with the hashtag #FollowFriday or #FF. This helps new people discover accounts that might be of interest to them, and it also gives a shout-out to popular accounts that deserve recognition.
The popularity of #FollowFriday has waxed and waned over the years, but it remains a popular way to connect with others on social media. If you’re looking for some new accounts to follow, checking out the #FollowFriday hashtag is a great place to start!
HeforShe
The HeForShe campaign has been successful in engaging men and boys from all over the world. In 2020, the campaign reached over 1 billion people through social media, online ads, and events. The #HeforShe hashtag was used more than any other hashtag associated with the campaign. This shows that there is a lot of interest in the HeForShe movement among men and boys.
There are many reasons why men should support gender equality. For one, it is simply the right thing to do. Equality is a fundamental human right that everyone deserves regardless of their gender identity or expression. Secondly, sexist attitudes and behaviours can lead to harmful consequences for both women and men. Gender inequality often results in women being paid less than men, being denied opportunities, or experiencing violence simply because they are women. This is not only unjust but it also holds back economies as well as social progress more generally speaking.. Men have a role to play in ensuring that all people can live free from discrimination and enjoy equal rights and opportunities regardless of their gender identity or expression.
Jesuischarlie
In the years since, Charlie Hebdo has continued to provoke with its irreverent brand of humor, often directed at religious figures and sacred cows. This has led to continued death threats against its staff and more attacks, including a 2016 shooting at its offices that left two people dead.
Despite this, Charlie Hebdo remains defiant, continuing to publish weekly without fear or favor. In doing so, it has become a symbol of free speech and resistance to intolerance – something that was reflected in the popularity of #jesuischarlie in 2020.
As a result of its stance, Charlie Hebdo has won numerous awards, including the prestigious PEN America Freedom to Write Award. It is also widely respected by many fellow journalists and free speech advocates around the world.
Looking back on five years since the original attack, it is clear that charlie Hebdo’s commitment to freedom of expression knows no bounds – nor does public support for its right to exist and speak truth to power.#jesuischarlie.
TheDress
For those who don’t remember, #TheDress was a photo of a woman in a dress that appeared to be two different colors. Some people saw the dress as white and gold, while others saw it as blue and black. The debate raged on for weeks, with people taking sides and arguing over which color they saw.
Now, five years later, #TheDress is back in the news. A new study has found that the majority of people actually see the dress as white and gold.
So what happened? Why did so many people see the dress as blue and black? And why did the majority of people change their minds?
It turns out that there are scientific explanations for both phenomena. Let’s take a closer look at what happened with #TheDress:
First of all, it’s important to understand how we see color. Our eyes work by detecting light waves of different lengths; these waves are then sent to our brains where they’re interpreted as colors. But our brain doesn’t always get it right; sometimes it can misinterpret what we’re seeing if there’s not enough light or if we’re looking at something from an angle. This is likely what happened with #TheDress; because the photo was taken in low light conditions (it was taken at night), our brains had trouble correctly interpreting the colors.