A lone hashtag might not look very mighty, but when used en masse, the symbols can become incredibly powerful activism tools.
Over the past two decades — largely since product designer Chris Messina pitched hashtags to Twitter in 2007 — activists have learned to harness the symbols to form online communities, raise awareness on pressing issues, organize protests, shape digital narratives, and redirect social media discourse.
On any given day, a series of hashtags are spotlighted in…