According to Wikipedia the "#" symbol has most commonly been referred to throughout history as the "number" symbol. For example, "#1" stands for "number one." In American English, the symbol is also called the pound sign (not to be confused with the British Pound currency symbol "£") The pound sign is most commonly found on telephone keys and is referred to as the pound key.

I know this may sound like common sense so let me give you the back story to my profound moment...

Today I picked up my desk phone at work and dialed in for phone conference. As usual the operator said, "Please enter your conference I.D. number..." then completed her sentence by saying, "...followed by the pound or hash key."

The hash key?!

I'm familiar with calling "#" a hash in the correct context (i.e. social media) but when you're referring to the button on my phone keypad, that's the pound key.


So that got me thinking. Has the pound sign died? Is there a generation alive right now that will not know the "#" as the pound sign? It is very likely that this is where it is heading.

I can handle the fact that there are children on this planet that will grow up and never see, hold or use a floppy disc. I mean, I've never even touched an 8-track. And I'm perfectly okay with that. As a technology enthusiast, I understand and encourage the quick evolution of gadgets in society. They should die as fast as they are born... that's what fosters innovation!

This forces you to take a step back and really examine the impact social media has on language and syntax.

There are always fads in speech and communication but they come and go without anyone really making much fuss or noticing. And every once in a while we add new words to accommodate for new discoveries and uses. But in the case of the "hash," it is actually changing a language. Changing it. Not adding to it. Changing it!

My mind is just blown that Twitter can change the English language.