Being active online, particularly as a business owner or brand representative of any kind, there are a lot of layers to take into consideration. Often, we get so caught up in trying to grow our brand that we forget that we are speaking to real humans.
Real humans who have all sorts of different backgrounds, cultures, and abilities. Whether you are posting on Facebook, YouTube, TikTok or Instagram, my guess is that you are familiar with the concept of hashtags.
The gist: CamelCase (sometimes called PascalCase) means capitalizing the first letter of each word in a hashtag, like #JustMarketing in place of #justmarketing. It helps screen readers pronounce each word correctly and makes hashtags easier for everyone to read, including people with dyslexia or low vision. The habit takes zero extra effort and prevents embarrassing misreadings.
If you are using them in your content, and you really want to ensure that what you are sharing online is inclusive and accessible, keep reading! I am going to break down the reason behind a simple concept called camel case, which makes it far easier for viewers to interpret your hashtags!
Let’s Start Right At The Beginning: What is a Hashtag?
Just in case you are new to the concept of hashtags, here is a quick definition! Hootsuite says that using hashtags is essentially a way to group together conversations or content around a certain topic, making it easy for people to find content that interests them.
They add that hashtags can be used on just about any social media platform, but they’re most popular on X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, TikTok, and LinkedIn. They help to boost both reach and engagement around particular topics.
What Is CamelCase?
Camel case, as it pertains to hashtags, is the practice of ensuring that you capitalize the first letter in each word of your multi-word hashtags. This method is sometimes referred to as Pascal case. The core difference between Camel case and Pascal case, is that Pascal case requires the first letter of the first word be capitalized whereas Camel case does not. In accessibility circles, either way is typically called CamelCase
While this blog post will focus on compound hashtags, the use of camel case can also apply to compound naming conventions like the following popular examples:
- PlayStation
- YouTube
- FamilyPreneur
But, let's get back to hashtags and how utilizing camel case will make you a more just, inclusive, and accessible marketer.
A Cautionary Tale In Defense of Camel Case
One of the best ways to figure out how not to do things, is to learn from the humble mistakes that others have made before you (in kindness and understanding that we all have stories and experiences that we regret). So, here is a story that helps to explain one of the reasons why it pays to use camel case in your hashtags and marketing:
Once upon a time, an artist created a hashtag to promote her album. Her name was Susan Boyle and the hashtag read #susanalbumparty. It was intended to read as ‘Susan Album Party,’ but it may not come as a surprise to learn that keyboard warriors misread it as #SusAnalBumParty, or, ‘ sus anal bum party.’
So, what started out as an innocent promotional stunt from her PR team, got a rather filthy twist, rather fast too. Susan Boyle was Britain's Got Talent's 2009 runner-up, an opera singer with a memorable audition.
Here’s another example:
#whoremembers = ‘Whore members’ or ‘Who Remembers’?
The bottom line is that using lowercase hashtags can be confusing, difficult to understand, and simply open to (mis)interpretation.
Why Does CamelCase Matter for Accessibility?
As a Just Marketer, you want to make your marketing accessible to everyone.
For blind and low-vision people, who rely on screen readers to access information, lowercase multi-word hashtags pose a challenge.
If a long hashtag is written in lowercase, the screen reader cannot recognize the individual words that make up the hashtag.
Screen reading technology often interprets long hashtags as single words instead of a phrase.
The result? A text-to-speech output that sounds like gibberish.
Now, a good portion of your audience may also include people who are dyslexic or partially sighted.
So, gibberish output negates your goal of making your content accessible. Not to mention that some people may want to lighten their reading load or simply prefer the experience of using a screen reader.
Accommodating people of all abilities in your use of hashtags means that you have to use camel case for your hashtags.
Who Else Benefits From CamelCase Hashtags?
Camel case does not just solely benefit people who rely on screen readers. It improves understanding and readability for everyone. It makes your content clear and scannable to your audience. This includes, but is not limited to:
- People in a hurry
- People with low literacy
- People who are stressed
- People who are multi-tasking
- People with low English fluency
- People with cognitive impairments
Your hashtags should be really clear and leave no room for misinterpretation. As shown in the Susan Boyle example, we don’t want to make our audience stop and think by causing confusion. Our hashtags should be helpful, not a hindrance.
Why Isn’t Camel Case Universally Adopted When Writing Hashtags?
There is no extra effort required to write a hashtag in camel case, so it cannot be a resource issue. Therefore, I assume the absence of camel case is due to a lack of understanding about social media accessibility, and I hope that this article can help to break some of those misconceptions.
It is yet another example of one of the reasons why I started Just Marketing®. To provide open, honest, judgment-free advice and feedback to entrepreneurs, marketers and small business owners who want to make their content and marketing more inclusive, accessible and equitable — but they’re not quite sure where to start.
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FAQs
Capitalization doesn't change how hashtags work, since they aren't case-sensitive. #JustMarketing and #justmarketing lead to the same results, so CamelCase improves readability with no downside for reach.
In programming, camelCase starts with a lowercase letter (#justMarketing), while PascalCase capitalizes every word, including the first (#JustMarketing). In accessibility conversations, both are often called CamelCase. For hashtags, capitalizing every word is the clearest option for readers and screen readers.
Yes, wherever you display them. Writing @theMegBrunson or MegBrunson.com helps people read the words at a glance. Domain names aren't case-sensitive, so the capitalized version still takes people to the right place.
Fewer, well-chosen hashtags are easier for everyone to read, especially screen reader users who hear each one aloud. Placing hashtags at the end of your caption lets your message come through first.
Yes, screen readers announce each emoji by its description, so a row of emojis can turn into a long string of words. Use emojis to complement your text and keep them to a handful per post. Here's a guide to emojis and assistive technology.
Adding alt text to your images and captions to your videos are two of the most impactful habits. Both take only a minute once they're part of your routine. Start with these alt text templates for every image type.
