Numerous sources have reported in the past few weeks that Facebook hashtags are about to join the giant hashtag party that has been going strong for quite some time. The hashtag is predominantly used on Twitter to group information into categories; you can search by hashtag to find any posts that contain the word or phrase that you hashtag.

Since its introduction via Twitter, hashtag use has spread to Google+, Tumblr, Pinterest, and Instagram. After their acquisition of Instagram the natural next step would be integrating hashtags into Facebook, categorizing the posts of over 1 billion users.

This integration would benefit Facebook by keeping them relevant to consumer habits and eventually help bolster ad revenue. This wouldn’t be the first time Facebook pulled a copycat move; users have seen Facebook acquire concepts from Twitter before, such as the option to subscribe to a person’s feed.

So if indeed the Facebook hashtag is born, what will it mean for users and businesses? For one, it could organize the countless hashtags already present on Facebook from Instagram and other social media application shares. Plus, there are many users that already employ hashtags on Facebook, even though they don’t work. 

The addition of hashtags to Facebook could also help improve advertising on the site — as it has on Twitter and Instagram — by making data about users and their posts more accurate so that better, more targeted ads can be served.

Brands would be able to run hashtag campaigns that reach far more people than they do on Twitter. But as with all advertising, it would have to be an extremely relevant, creative, engaging campaign. And there’s no guarantee that it will work — Facebook users put little trust in Facebook ads. It’s a personal space that they don’t want invaded. So there’s a strong possibility they won’t want it invaded by hashtag campaigns either.

The rumor mill is running mad with buzz about hashtagging. Facebook has not made any confirmation or denial about the rumors. But it will be interesting to watch this new world unfold, if it ever does.