The new reaction options are an extension of the “Like” button.
By Sreejith Vallikunnu
Amid speculations that Facebook could soon add a ‘Dislike’ button, Facebook has started testing a new set of emojis that allow users to express a range of emotions on the social networking site.
According to a Facebook post, the new reaction options are an extension of the “Like” button to give people more ways to easily signal how they feel. The test is scheduled to begin on Friday and the company has chosen Ireland and Spain for the test.
The emotions chosen for the trial are: “Love,” “Yay,” “Wow,” “Haha,” “Sad,” and “Angry,” and are similar to emojis used in text messaging. Each expression comes with a correspondingly themed emoji.
In September, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg made a declaration that Facebook is working on a dislike button. “People have asked about the dislike button for many years,” he said. “We’ve finally heard you and we’re working on this and we will deliver something that meets the needs of the larger community.”
However, on Thursday, Mark Zuckerberg wrote in his Facebook page – “Today we’re launching a test of reactions – a more expressive like button.”
“Not every moment is a good moment, and sometimes you just want a way to express empathy. These are important moments where you need the power to share more than ever, and a Like might not be the best way to express yourself”, he added.
Facebook’s chief product officer Chris Cox gave further details in a post saying, “As you can see, it’s not a ‘dislike’ button. Though we hope it addresses the spirit of this request more broadly. We studied which comments and reactions are most commonly and universally expressed across Facebook, then worked to design an experience around them that was elegant and fun,” he added.
Facebook will use the feedback from the two countries to improve the feature and is planning to roll it out to everyone soon.