Facebook releases new reaction-based feature

In changing a core part of Facebook – the 7-year-old “like” button has become synonymous with the social network – the company said it tried to keep things familiar.

As well as the existing “Like” button, which is conveyed by a blue and white thumbs-up icon, users can now respond to posts in five more specific ways.

The expanded reactions feature had been tested in several markets and is now rolling out globally, Krug said.

When a friend posts that his father has died, or a cousin gets frustrated with her morning commute, hitting “like” might seem insensitive.

Missing from this set of responses is a “dislike” button – an option CEO Mark Zuckerberg first hinted at in September.

Facebook has rolled out its new Reactions – Love, Angry, Sad, Haha, and Wow – for users across the globe. Facebook also examined comments and the most-used stickers and emoticons to determine which reactions people use when commenting on posts.

Facebook’s highly anticipated reactions are here, and this is how to use them. Maybe “sad” and “angry” cover some reasons why we might dislike something, but they aren’t the same as an option that allows you to say something straight-up sucks. When hovering, six emoji will pop up and be animated.

In a blog post, product manager Sammi Krug said: “We’ve been listening to people and know that there should be more ways to easily and quickly express how something you see in news feed makes you feel”.

Until now, there has been only one reaction available to people who wanted to acknowledge what someone had posted on their profile.

The automatic update will roll out to web users worldwide over the next few days.

You should now see the feature on all your Facebook-enabled devices.

Love: You really, really like a post.