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Do you find yourself a bit on edge? Nervous, perhaps, that a Russian dictator seems to have a soft spot for Cold War politics? Worried that you’ll have to stockpile cash under your mattress if global markets crash? Scared that you (if you’re a woman) or half the people you know (if you’re a man) can’t walk outdoors without brandishing keys inserted between every finger or pee without an army of friends?

Well don’t be! The virtual world is rescuing the real world, one tweet at a time. Yes, war, famine, pestilence and idiocy are upon us, condemning us to a hell of crack smoking mayors, religious militants and misogynist gunmen. But never fear, the hashtag heroes are here!

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tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or Gormley: A guide for hashtag heroes (and their governments) Back to video

With the bold declaration that bad things are bad, followed by the intrepid push of a button, cyber saviours enlighten the ignorant, provoke the complacent and pressure the powerful, all in under 140 characters. The problem is that people and their political representatives often hitch themselves to movements they know little about, possibly with the vague sense that they’ll look like a good person by association with a (maybe) good cause. No two hashtags are alike, however, so it’s useful to consider how they may be most, well, useful: effective campaigns galvanize both action and understanding.