Facebook debuted a pretty important new feature today that will change the way you use the social media platform: reaction buttons. After testing the concept for nearly half a year, Facebook finally unveiled the final product today, on February 24th. All Facebook users will access to the new feature today. If you don’t see the option yet, don’t fret – it should get there within the next 24 hours.
Say goodbye to that measly like button and express your love through an actual love button. And for all those trolls out there, stop filling the comments section with grief and just pick a Facebook reaction button – we’ll all be better for it!
Here’s everything you need to know about the new Facebook feature:
How To Use New Facebook Reaction Buttons
Well, to be honest, it’s pretty simple. Here’s how the new Facebook posts look:
As you can see, the additional face is one of the new Facebook reaction buttons. For a computer, hovering over the like button will open up to the other options. From there, you can pick which emoji you’d like featured.
As for your phone, holding down the Like button on your iPhone or Android will open the Facebook Reactions options.
What Are The Facebook Reaction Buttons?
The below gif features all of the new Facebook Reaction buttons. Take a look:
The like button will remain the same, but “love,” “haha,” “wow,” “sad,” and “angry” will also be options. While Facebook tested the “yay” button, they unfortunately decided to forgo the option. Which sucks, because obviously “yay!” can be used for pretty much anything.
Bloomberg Business elaborates:
Facebook Reactions won’t get rid of like—it will be an extension. Within the company, there was some debate on how to add the options without making every post look crowded with things to click. The simpler Facebook is to use, the more people will use it. Zuckerberg had a solution: Just display the usual thumbs-up button under each post, but if someone on her smartphone presses down on it a little longer, the other options will reveal themselves. Cox’s team went with that and added animation to clarify their meaning, making the yellow emojis bounce and change expression. The angry one turns red, looking downward in rage, for example. Once people click their responses, the posts in News Feed show a tally of how many wows, hahas, and loves each generated.
Here’s a quick breakdown of what each emoji means, per Tech Crunch:
Love: “Sometimes when a friend shares a post about a tragedy or something that annoys them, it doesn’t feel right to Like it, and commenting can be awkward, but you still want to express empathy… With any luck, this will encourage people to be more vulnerable on Facebook.”
Wow: “By adding Reactions, Facebook will now have a much more accurate perception of what we feel and what kind of posts resonate with each of us. It could eventually use that knowledge to better filter the News Feed to show more things that Wow us.”
Haha: “We comment “Lol” on so many posts that Facebook thought there could be a simpler way.”
Sad: “If something sad happens to a friend, Liking isn’t right, but adding a generic “sorry” comment can feel cold. By hitting the animated Sad button, you can express your condolences and solidarity.”
Angry: “There’s still no “Dislike” button, and that’s sure to piss some people off.”
What Do New Facebook Reactions Do?
The list is extensive. With the new Facebook reactions options you can express how you feel using six different Facebook emojis, each with a helpful description as to what they are below them. The new Facebook like button still includes a like, but it also includes a Love and four emoji that you can use to cover other emotions. Here’s a more thorough explanation:
The overall message is legitimate:
[Chris Cox] explained Facebook’s goal: a universal vocabulary that lets people express emotion as they scroll through their feed. In a sense, Reactions is an adaptation of digital culture in Asia, where messaging apps such as Line and WeChat have already established a complex language of emojis and even more elaborate “stickers.”