Yahoo Lifestyle The Most Important Hashtags Of 2014
#Illridewithyou: This ongoing hashtag has flooded social media in the wake of the Sydney Siege. Australia has banded together in support of members of the Muslim community, with Twitter users offering to accompany those who wear religious attire to work if they feel unsafe. Last night, the hashtag was trending across the world, with many expressing their desire to maintain a united front in the wake of the tragedy.
#YesAllWomen: The hastag #YesAllWomen went viral on Twitter after two women were gunned down in May by 22-year old Elliott Rodger, who claimed he was gaining retribution for women who had "starved [him] of sex." The shocking spate of violence sparked a conversation about rape, harassment and women's safety, with the hashtag #YesAllWomen dominating the list of trending topics.
#JewsandArabsRefuseToBeEnemies: A hashtag promoting peace between Israel and Palestine went viral in July. Two weeks into the escalating conflict, during which time more than 500 Gazans and 27 Israelis were killed, ordinary citizens joined an international social media campaign against the violence.
#IamALiberianNotAVirus: In October, four women launched a campaign aimed at stemming the tide of stigmatisation against West Africans as a consequence of the spread of Ebola. Using the hashtag #IamALiberianNotAVirus, the project aimed to confront the discrimination people from Liberia, Nigeria, Guinea and Sierra Leone are currently facing.
#HeforShe: Emma Watson was heralded with kickstarting the #HeforShe campaign, which implores men to join the fight for gender equality. The hashtag went viral after a number of celebrities also pledged their support.
#whyistayed and #whyileft: Thousands of women took to Twitter in September to explore the issue of domestic violence, explaining why they remained in or fled from abusive relationships using the hashtags #whyistayed and #whyileft.
#BringBackOurGirls: The hashtag #BringBackOurGirls began gaining momentum in April after 200 schoolgirls were kidnapped by a notorious terror group in Nigeria. Celebrities including Michelle Obama, Cara Delevingne and Hillary Clinton joined the social media movement demanding the government step in to help find the girls, who still remain missing.
#LightTheDark: In February, thousands of people around Australia held candlelit vigils to protest the death of Reza Barati, an Iranian asylum seeker killed at the Manus Island detention centre. But those expecting to see coverage of the vigils woke to complete silence from the country's major newspapers. Thousands of people then joined the uproar over the apparent censoring of the event, which called for the Australian government to stand up for the treatment of refugees.
#FreeAJStaff: The #FreeAJStaff hashtag was set up amidst mounting international outrage over the sentencing of Australian journalist Peter Greste and his co-workers in Egypt, who still remain in jail despite a lack of trial.
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Sydney siege sparks #illridewithyou hashtag
