Social media users were in an uproar when rumors of a “dislike” button for Facebook began swirling in September. CEO Mark Zuckerberg never actually said they’d be releasing a dislike button, and today we found out exactly what it was he meant when he said they were intending to expand on their Like Button.
Currently in beta testing in Spain and Ireland only, their brand new feature is called “Reactions” and it allows a user to empathize with a post in six different ways (instead of the current thumbs up). These new Facebook emojis include love, laughter, happiness, shock, sadness and anger. Facebook says they plan to test it in these two countries so they can tweak it before rolling it out to bigger audiences.
If and when they come Stateside, these new Reactions would be available on both desktop and mobile, though there are no plans to integrate them into other Facebook products like Messenger for example.
You might be wondering how these new Facebook emojis differ from the currently available stickers. These six emojis will appear when you hover over the like button with your mouse or touch the like button on your mobile device and will inherently be easier to use.
Thanks to TechCruch, we can see what these new Facebook emojis look like here:
This opens a new data stream for marketers because we will be able to get a better understanding of how our communities engage with the posts. Imagine how much easier it will be to determine the type of content that resonates with your community when you can literally see their reactions! Facebook says that this data will eventually make it into their analytics dashboard (which means it will inevitably be used for future advertising targets).
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With nearly two decades in the industry, Belle Strategies’ owner, Rachel Creveling, is a seasoned business consultant who crafts comprehensive frameworks that integrate operations, marketing, sales and HR to position her clients for optimal success. She excels at incorporating trending tech ethically and studied Strategies for Accountable AI at Wharton.