Facebook rolls out Like extension: Reactions

Starting on Wednesday, the social media giant rolled out five new reaction buttons to go with the now-iconic thumbs up like button.

Basically the new reactions, according to Facebook, are tools to push more relevant content to you, the final user. In all fairness, we probably won’t ever see these reactions become reality (as the Independent noted, Facebook has already said no to what is perhaps the most requested reaction ever: a dislike button), but hey, a girl can dream.

The complete list of Reactions was based on focus groups and from studying how Facebook users typically comment, use emoticons, and use stickers to react to posts.

“I think it’s changing how we’re communicating”, says Allison Matherly, Coordinator of Digital Engagement for Texas Tech.

At present, the value generated just by the “Like” button for Facebook is “priceless”, Brian Blau, an analyst at Gartner, told Bloomberg.

“As much as I used to want to see a thumbs-down button…”

On the other hand, most people’s initial reaction tends to be along the lines of “what’s this crap?”, followed by an uneasy feeling that their personal space has been cluttered. One thing’s for sure – significant amounts of drama will be generated by people liking posts instead of loving them in the years to come. “People wanted to express empathy and make it comfortable to share a wider range of emotions”. On the other hand when anyone feels angry or thought provoking they can use angry or thought provoking emoji “Reaction”.

“Good. Now when I saw someone showing off their bae, I can press ‘angry, ‘” Facebook user Chekchon Demonster Anchaisri wrote Friday morning. “We are now excited to offer it to everyone who uses Facebook around the world”, Samantha Krug, product manager at Facebook, said in a blog post.

Keltner’s team will be available to Facebook to provide its scientific expertise on improving the quality of people’s experiences on the site, Simon-Thomas said.