The Story Behind #TBT: Throwback Thursday
By Miguel Lopez
The end of the week is finally arriving and you’re feeling nostalgic right before the weekend kicks in. Maybe you want to revisit your last getaway or you miss that cardigan you found at the mall last week. Now is the time to post about those adventures abroad or in the fitting room in a completely seamless way so that you don’t seem too narcissistic.
According to legend, the #TBT trend started with a sneakerhead that would post pictures of classic sneakers on his blog and social media pages every Thursday. The concept has since then grown exponentially throughout the last few years with the hashtag #tbt being used 193 million times on Instagram, as well as #throwbackthursday 38 million times.
#TBT is taken seriously by many people, including myself. I once posted a Facebook status update expressing my frustration about not knowing what to post for #TBT. Luckily I have friends that were supportive and even offered some suggestions.
A few minutes later:
The picture above is from my trip to Fortaleza, Brazil in the summer of 2014 #TBT.
It’s safe to say that the Throwback Thursday phenomenon has gone viral now and is going to be around for the foreseeable future. Especially since Flashback Fridays or #FBF, the competition, doesn’t seem to be catching any steam in the battle for social media nostalgic supremacy.
Although #TBT is designed for Thursdays there are people that have the audacity to post throwback pictures on other days of the week and still label them as #TBT! (I’m not going to lie, I’ve actually done it a couple of times too.) That’s one of the DONT’S of social media hashtag etiquette. Read our Intro to Hashtag Etiquette for more Do’s and Don’ts of proper hashtag etiquette.
Now that you’ve had a brief “Behind The Hashtag” look at #TBT, you are now certified to continue posting every Thursday with the confidence and knowledge you need to know what you’re doing.
Miguel Lopez is the social media manager for Hshtags.
