America as a country has been in a pool of sorrow and anger after the massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida on Valentines Day. A debate that has been a common theme over the past decade is how we can form an alliance against gun violence and mass shootings. The problem with this debate is that it's simply just a debate, and nobody is doing anything to pressure our government to combat the situation. Until now, with the powerful voices of the students and the parents of Stoneman Douglas High.

But let's look at the social media side of this.

Thanks to the never-ending dynamic of the hashtag, we could simply express gratitude, empathy, or sympathy with just a click of a button. You see, the hashtag has taken the place of action. When a massacre happens; we look to Twitter, find a couple of poorly edited screenshots, and feel sorry for the victims. Which of course is a natural and correct way to react to a catastrophe, but hashtags can take the place of having a simple prayer or just acknowledging the fact that you are indeed aware that there is an issue.

Hashtags are just a way for people to feel like they're contributing to a cause.

These high school students in Florida are doing everything in their power to fight a problem that has plagued this country the past decade. Hashtags have become a declaration that something is indeed wrong and that someone else or another group should contribute to a cause. Now I'm not saying that all hashtags are bad; during the massive wave of hurricanes last year, hashtags helped spread the effects of the hurricanes and the need for supplies in various places like Florida, Houston, and Puerto Rico.

We can easily sit around and say that we should make a change. The great Malcolm X said, "A man who stands for nothing, will fall for anything". You might read this as a rant about hashtags, and I'm totally okay with that. But this is truly just a cry out to the people who feel like they have contributed to a situation just by acknowledging it on Twitter. Maybe there's a chance you feel like you're not able to make a change, or you feel that your opinion on an issue is invalid.

Change is change, and we need to move forward on issues instead of pressing a button and hoping for the best.

Once again, not all hashtags are bad. But using them to feel included in an important situation isn't helping anyone. If you feel the need to pray for someone, actually do it. If you develop the desire to donate supplies to countries or people in need, actually do it. Hashtags are the easy way out of human decency. Let's all grow past the hashtag and make a difference. Let's ditch the hashtag and take action! The real kind.