Facebook Launches 'Reactions': Express Your Feelings!

Facebook encourages users to express their feelings with brand new feature, Reactions.

The famous social network recently announced that it will be adding a "Dislike" button in the near future. However, the company seemed to have other ideas as it appears that users will be getting an "expanded" version of the "Like" feature instead, according to a report by Mashable.

Facebook Founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced via a video post last Thursday that they will be partially rolling out "Reactions" for a segment of Facebook users on Friday.

Mashable paints a good picture of how Facebook "Reactions" work in a report:

The easiest way to think about Reactions is as an extension of the existing Like button. The feature works with any post on Facebook where you see the Like button. Long pressing (or hovering over it with your mouse if you're on a desktop browser) will open up a panel of six different reactions you can add to a post. The first is, of course, "like," followed by "love," "haha," "yay," "wow," "sad" and "anger."

Each "Reaction," as per Mashable, is said to correspond to a unique emoji. Apart from this, users will still find the number of likes beside the "Reaction" and below the post. However, those who wish to "react" with more than one "Like" extension may not do so, as it is built in a similar fashion as the "Like" button.

Check out Facebook Reactions emojis, via Mashable, here.

There has been much talk and discussion about a "Dislike" button since Facebook launched, that's why the recent "Like" upgrade baffled and surprised many, especially those who have been anticipating a new button.

Zuckerberg, however, set the record straight in previous statements, saying that he never intended on creating a dislike button. He feels, as told by Mashable, that a "Dislike" feature, to go side by side with "Like," conveys too much negativity.

"Everyone feels like they can just push the Like button, and that's an important way to sympathize or empathize with someone," he remarked in a Q&A last December, as quoted by Mashable. "We need to figure out the right way to do it so it ends up being a force for good, not a force for bad," he said.

Mashable notes that since "Reactions" is still in the initial stages, changes are to be expected. This is said to have always been Facebook's strategy when introducing new features - it slowly makes tweaks and necessary changes based on the users' response and feedback.

Ireland and Spain will be the first to try "Reactions" out, according to Zuckerberg's video update. Facebook's Director of Product Adam Mosseri said in a statement for TechCrunch, as per Mashable, that the two countries were picked because they don't have much "international connection," making them a perfect guinea pig for the initial roll out. Moreover, Spain will also be good place to get feedback from non-English users.

Meanwhile, the rest of the Facebook community will have to wait to have a go.