Expression is key in communication. WhatsApp allows users to send what they feel and many appreciate the network. Three months ago Facebook teased people with there dislike button. Unfortunately, it was never released.
However, Facebook is planning to venture beyond thumbs up. The company is currently testing other expressions in Spain and Ireland. The new feature is dubbed ‘Reactions’, it will offer icons to express love, laughter, happiness, shock, sadness and anger, a company representative said Thursday.
How does it work? To send a reaction, users will long-press the “like” button while PC users will hover over it. An array of options will then pop up. A post will note the number of each reactions received. Note, not all Facebook users will be allowed to test the new reactions.
“Like” is widely associated with Facebook and the company has taken it as one of their brand sign in everything. Technically, thumbs up can be used to any situation. Sign language does not have many options unless you are a pro in the language. Ideally, thumbs up expresses hate, love, happiness and love. In Facebook, you would find people clicking the like button in unfortunate events like crimes, illness, deaths and accidents.
Other internet forums like Reddit and Youtube allow users to either thumbs up or thumbs down. Many people find it hard to upload sensitive information on the platforms since they will not receive honest opinion and expression from viewers. On the other hand, people like being praised or clapped for even if a statement is dumb. I think Facebook would like to make everybody feel proud about themselves. Imagine being slapped with a thousand dislikes on your Photo or status update. Even a single dislike matters a lot.
āNot every moment is a good moment,ā said Facebookās co-founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg in a Q&A session at the companyās headquarters. He said he realizes people may not want to ālikeā a current event such as the Syrian refugee crisis or a family member passing away. But he also doesnāt want users to merely vote up or down on peopleās posts.
Facebook is currently used by many entrepreneurs as a marketing base. More than 100 million people are active users on Facebook. Four weeks ago, Nunu Ntshingila said.”At Facebook, we have a saying that weāre only 1% done, and this couldnāt be truer for Facebook in Africa. Iām only beginning this journey, and Iām already incredibly inspired by the power of connection ā from the smallest moments to fostering global conversations. Everyone on Facebook has a story, and I canāt wait to hear the stories from Kenya and Nigeria firsthand.ā
