Have you ever seen a post on Facebook that mad you sad, angry, or speechless? You didn’t want to leave a comment, but you felt leaving a like on the post wouldn’t show the right response especially if you didn’t “like” what the status said. Starting today Facebook is radically changing the way the like button works on the site. The like won’t go anywhere, but a set of emotions including angry, sad, wow, haha, and love will all compliment the like button. 
The like button will still look the same, and in fact the only way you’ll see the other emotions is by hovering the like button. Adding complexity to the like button may sound overwhelming, especially how Facebook made the button a house hold symbol over the course of a decade. The change is a response to users who have wanted a dislike button but Facebook didn’t want something so negative on their site. Instead they’ve added a number of options to show how you feel about a certain status from a friend or page you’ve liked. The new reactions are all emojis, fitting considering how users already understand what emojis relate to certain emotions.
The reactions cover a slew of possible reactions you could have to any status. The closest option Facebook gave users to a dislike was the “angry” emoji to show your distaste or angry over a status. The sad reaction will allow users to show their sadness around a death, depressing news, or another status that liking wouldn’t feel right. Of course there are other reactions to fit all your needs! If you think Facebook left out a reaction that would be useful tell us in those comments below!
The reactions are welcomed on Facebook because not everything on the web can be “liked.” I’m now able to show a proper reaction to something that leaves me upset, sad, laugh out loud, or even speechless. The notification to a status now shows “user reacted to your post” or if they like it the notification will say “user like your post.” A little confusing? Yes, but now it will be better to show your response to all your friends Facebook statuses.
Tell us in the comments below if your going to use Facebook reactions or if your going to stick to using the like button!