Behind The Hashtag | Jean MacAskill

Welcome to Behind the Hashtag!

So, what’s this space all about?

I’ve been thinking about Behind the Hashtag for over four years now. The idea was inspired from various points in my life – both highs and lows – when I realised that our culture of hashtags only tells us part of the story.

The hashtag culture often merely conveys what people want us to know, the polished and sanitised headlines, and yet many times I’ve desperately wanted to have that honest, hashtag-free, “What’s it really all about?” conversation.

And to be open – I’ve gone through phases of being the ‘Queen of the Hashtag’ myself, I like to think I know which of them are real and which are as much to deceive myself as anyone else.

Now let me declare, I’m not a doctor, psychologist or counsellor! I have learned a great deal from the school of hard knocks and have been a student of many many things to navigate my way through life, so if I can save you some legwork or point you to some new ideas which might help then happy days. I’ve also been incredibly blessed (ooh that was nearly a hashtag wasn’t it?) with the most supportive network of family and friends who have stuck with me, been honest with me, shared wisdom, made me laugh and generally held me up on my feet through both the rough and the fabulous. I’ve always been acutely aware that not everyone has that “village” at their fingertips and so I wanted a place where I could somehow capture some of that wisdom and share it with those who need. That’s the goal.

So in the months ahead I’ll share short articles, review some books or online videos/TED Talks, introduce you to some experts or resources which I’ve found very helpful. In time, I’d love to bring some of my amazing ‘village’ to you through podcasts.

My dream is that this becomes a space for “What’s it really all about?” conversations – that we can cut through the hashtag noise and hopefully get to what matters – giving you some help, maybe even some hope and all with a sprinkling of salty humour!

Jean MacAskill