Dictionary

bashtag en · NOUN

Etymology

Blend of bash (“disparage, criticize”) + hashtag.

Meanings

1. (Internet) A hashtag used to criticize something, especially one that was intended for promotional use but repurposed by users to criticize that which it was intended to promote, or make the opposite point.
   • The threat of a viral video or Twitter “bashtag” takedown has raised the cost of direct manipulation and greenwash. 2012, Dana O'Rourke, Shopping for Good, The MIT Press, →ISBN, page 22:
   • Unfortunately, while you like your product, others may feel differently. It doesn't take long for a hashtag to become a bashtag. 2014, Michael Cross, Social Media Security: Leveraging Social Networking While Mitigating Risk, Syngress, →ISBN, page 99:
   • The hashtag became a bashtag and Twitter users were instead using it to share their negative experiences of McDonalds,^([sic]) letting others know about the poor service and bad food they had experienced. 2013, Robert Ashton, Jessica Juby, Writing for the Web: Teach Yourself, McGraw-Hill, unnumbered page:

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