Hashtags have become an effective social media phenomenon. When used judiciously, well-placed hashtags in blog titles, Google+ posts, Facebook and Twitter updates, image descriptions across Pinterest, Instagram, and Vine can add a layer of cohesiveness to a brand's social media marketing as well as help improve SEO.
According to Mashable.com private messaging has captured the attention of the most popular social media networks in the last few months. With platforms such as Facebook, Twitter or Instagram people can have hundreds of thousands of friends or followers at one time. However, users are demanding more intimacy through private messaging services.
Simon-Thomas, a neuroscientist who has spent years studying human emotions and social interactions, agrees with the necessity of private messaging in social media networks. "You just have to imagine if every time you said something, instead of it being said to the people who are close to you in physical space, it was broadcast to a three block radius. [Think] how much harder it would be for you to have community."