‘Love’ and ‘angry’ among choices, but still no ‘dislike.’
Facebook users no longer have to lament clicking the “like” button on friend’s heart-wrenching post or on a news story that makes them downright mad. As promised, the social media giant has rolled out a line of “Reactions” that more appropriately cover a range of human emotions.
The new line of clickable options doesn’t include that “dislike” button so many users have asked for, but it does provide more ways for users to interact with content. In addition to the tried-and-tested “like” button, Facebook users can now express such reactions as “love,” “haha,” “sad,” “wow” and “angry.” The idea behind the rollout is to provide users with fast, clickable interaction buttons that may more appropriately express their feelings about what they’ve seen or read. After all, not every post is likeable.
The new “Reactions” are designed as emojis that show up alongside “likes” in a Facebook post. Those who post can easily see how people are interacting with their content based on the emoji icons that appear. As it was when just the “like” button was available, Facebook also totals the interactions and provides a numeral to the right of the new icons.
Facebook launched “Reactions” Feb. 24 with users quickly getting the hang of how to use the new icons. While users seem to be giving the move a big thumbs-up, based on the number of new interactions rolling through most people’s Facebook feeds, marketers especially “love” the new buttons for the potential they may provide in targeting ad campaigns down the road.
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In the pilot phase, Facebook intends to treat all Reactions, including “angry” and “sad,” the same as a standard “like.” That means Facebook will infer that any reaction means a user wants to see more of that type of content. Going forward, however, the weighting is likely to change to better hone content to user interest, Facebook officials have said.
Marketers say the new range of reactions may already provide agencies with a useful tool for reaching audiences. Brands could, for example, reach out to those who use the “sad” reaction to improve customer service. That type of one-on-one interaction would work in much the same way as it does on Twitter now, providing brands a way to improve their standing with unsatisfied customers.
Marketers also envision a future in which the new Reactions could pave the way for better targeting of Facebook advertising campaigns. For example, advertisers might one day be able to launch campaigns that exclude users who reacted to past advertising efforts by clicking the “angry” or “sad” icons.
The full implication of Reactions and how the project might change the face of individual newsfeeds remains to be seen. Facebook and marketers, however, are reveling in the potential.
“The more we can get a read on how consumers really feel, the better,” Orli LeWinter, vice president of strategy and social marketing at the 360i agency, told Wired.
