You might not give much thought to the hashtag – that little # symbol you sprinkle between your daily tweets and online messages. But what started as a tool to classify topics and relevant conversations has now become a rallying cry for sociopolitical action.

“We look at the hashtag as kind of a symbol that lets people get behind it as opposed to just kind of throwing their opinions out there, and they’re part of a larger conversation,” said Tim Receveur, Director of PeaceTech Exchanges at the United States Institute of Peace. ” … There’s a symbol of empowerment around the hashtag”

Tech expert Chris Messina is credited with creating the first Twitter hashtag in August 2007. The whole thing started with this tweet:

how do you feel about using # (pound) for groups. As in #barcamp [msg]?

— ⚒ Chris Messina ⚔ (@chrismessina) August 23, 2007