For ages, the denizens of Facebook have demanded a dislike button. And today, Facebook complied . . . kind of.
Facebook Reactions, which is now available to all Facebook users, is being billed as an extension of the like button, to give you more ways to share your reaction to a post in a quick and easy way. It’s a small thing, but it’s also a major change for Facebook — after all, the like is Facebook’s most iconic element. Reactions are sure to generate lots of feedback over the next few weeks, ranging from positive to . . . well, “sad” and “angry.” Here are few of the earliest reviews.
A little morbid, but a fair point:
Wonderful news. Facebook finally added “reactions.” You no longer have to “like” it when someone dies!
— Jack Douglass (@jacksfilms) February 24, 2016
Pretty much:
Who else wants to watch “Inside Out” again after seeing the new Facebook reactions? pic.twitter.com/Q0hdUIDRpd
— PR Daily (@PRDaily) February 24, 2016
Well I don’t know if we’d go that far:
Facebook Reactions are here! We’re pretty excited: https://t.co/KEQu37bQCs pic.twitter.com/QRxVyT7le7
— WXYZ Detroit (@wxyzdetroit) February 24, 2016
Yeah, we knew this reaction was coming:
When Facebook finally gives us Reactions… but there’s still no dislike button option.
?
— Nyle DiMarco (@NyleDiMarco) February 24, 2016
A couple months is probably overly optimistic:
At least we still have a couple months before our moms figure out how to use Facebook Reactions.
— mark (@TheCatWhisprer) February 24, 2016
BLASPHEMY:
Maybe I’m in the minority, but I don’t think Facebook reactions are an earth-shattering thing that warrants a ton of coverage.
— Dr. Liz Gross (@lizgross144) February 24, 2016
Hey, at least some people are happy!
The Facebook Reactions animations are great: just the right amount of movement and whimsy to convey the emotions. pic.twitter.com/2J4Zf63yjO
— Benjamin Mayo (@bzamayo) February 24, 2016
So, how do you use Reactions?
If you’re on a laptop or desktop browser, you can simply hover over the like button. A bar of reactions will come up that you can choose from, including the traditional “like” plus “love,” “haha,” “wow,” “sad,” and “angry.”
If you’re on mobile, it’s a bit trickier. Hold down the like button on a post, and the same six options will come up. Be careful though – it takes some getting used to, and it’s easy to accidentally choose the wrong icon.
What’s your initial reaction to Reactions? Are you more of a wow, more of an angry, or are you all love?