Last month, we heard from Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg saying that after initially opposing the idea of a Dislike button on the site, he had been considering adding the feature for the purpose of allowing to users express empathy for disheartening or upsetting posts. For a moment, the Dislike button was almost a reality.
However, Zuckerberg seems to have had a change of heart yet again.
The Dislike button still eludes us, but we may be getting a step closer. This Friday, Facebook users in Ireland and Spain will be testing out a new feature called Reactions, offering a wider range of emotional reactions to a post. The feature includes six new emotions in addition to the traditional Like: Love, Haha, Yay, Wow, Sad, and Angry.
These specific emotions were chosen based on the reactions most commonly displayed in Facebook comments, according to Facebook project manager Chris Cox.
“As you can see, it’s not a ‘dislike’ button, though we hope it addresses the spirit of this request more broadly,” Cox reported.
Facebook users will now be able to express themselves more dynamically, but will it suffice in place of a Dislike feature? It very well could; the Sad and Angry emotions specifically seem to be taking Dislike’s place, albeit simultaneously sugar coating it. I guess some may think “this makes me sad” or “this makes me angry” sounds a lot nicer than “I don’t like this”.
As for the Love, Haha, Yay, and Wow emotions…are they really necessary? These emotions seem to just be different ways of expressing approval or enjoyment.
I understand that Zuckerberg doesn’t want a dichotomous reaction system where posts either get voted up or down, but is having an array of redundant reactions a good alternative?
The Reactions feature will be making its way to the rest of the world soon after its trial runs in Ireland and Spain. Perhaps only then will we find out whether or not it was a good idea.
What are your thoughts on the Reactions feature? Do you think it’s a better, safer alternative to a Dislike button? Let us know what you think!
Originally posted at: Lafayette Real Estate News
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