Written by Rachel Simon – Founder & CEO of Connect the Dots Digital
A couple of years ago Facebook launched “Reactions” – a way to interact with posts in the News Feed. Now instead of just hitting “like” we can choose from the following:
LIKE, LOVE, HAHA, ANGRY, WOW, or SAD
While I understand what Facebook is trying to achieve with this, it leaves me wondering how it will play out in practice. I can see the following questions popping up as people use it:
- Why didn’t my friends LOVE the picture I posted? They only LIKED it.
- Is it weird if I LOVE the post of someone I am not close friends with? Is that saved for the “inner circle”?
- If someone posts something supporting an issue I feel strongly against, do I click the MAD face? Will that instigate something?
- I thought my post was hilarious! How come more people didn’t choose HAHA?
I liked the LIKE button. It was a good catch-all. If I thought a picture was cute, I hit LIKE. If I agreed with someone’s stance on a issue, I hit LIKE. In cases where a friend was facing something difficult a LIKE, even on a sad update, served as a way to show encouragement and support. Now will I look like a jerk if I click LIKE instead of a SAD face? Should I choose LOVE to show I am really rallying behind my friend?
I am very interested to see how people will use Reactions over time. Personally, I think it adds a new level of nuance to Facebook interactions. Now users have to think about what the “best” reaction is as opposed to scrolling though the News Feed and dolling out LIKES. I’m sure people’s feelings will be hurt, people will be offended, people will second guess their post, but maybe people will also feel like their friends are really listening to what they have to say. We will just have to sit back and see if we eventually LOVE reactions.
What do you think about Facebook Reactions?
