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Facebook ‘Like’ Options: All You Need To Know

By Alexandria Ingham
Published on: 21:15 PST, Feb 24, 2016

Facebook launched its new “like” options yesterday, introducing the “love,” “haha,” and various other emojis. They are available around the world and on all devices. What do people need to know about these six new “like” options, and how can they use them?

Finding the new options is very easy. They are all available through the original like button. On the computer, just simply hovering over the like button will bring up all the options available to choose. With mobile, it is a little different. Just clicking the like button will “like” a post. To be able to choose different emotions, Facebook users will need to hold the button to bring up all the choices. From there, they can choose like they would on the desktop.

It is only possible to click the button once on a post. That means only one emotion at a time, so it is worth choosing carefully. That being said, it is then possible to click the button to get rid of the emotion and then go in to choose another, much as it is possible to “like” and “unlike” something.

Another change, according to Mashable, is that only the top three reactions are shown. It will then show the number of people who have clicked the button. The top three does not show all the various reactions that people have made. It is possible to see the details, by clicking on the number of people who have “liked” a post. This will give you the names and all their individual reactions.

Right now, the emotions are being tested. Only six are available on Facebook, but it is possible that many more will come. People are still looking for that “dislike” button, but it appears that that will not happen. Facebook had previously said that the dislike button was never included because it could cause too many issues between individuals on the social media site. The site is going against this by adding an angry emotion, arguably.

The six emotions available are “like,” “love,” “haha,” “sad,” “angry,” and “wow.” There are certainly still some limitations with expressing emotions, but they tend to cover the most common reactions to posts at the moment. Most people in the past have asked for a love button since they could not like something twice. They have also asked for an angry button, as well as that dislike one. Facebook has come through with at least two, for now.

CNN reports that the new “like” buttons have taken a year to create, as Facebook wanted to research the reactions necessary. Focus groups and surveys were used to find the best ones to bring in for now to see whether there is an option for more in the future. Facebook also wanted emotions that are understood universally. There are some that are only relevant to the western or eastern worlds, but the Facebook audience is international.

The aim of the emotions is to give people the chance to share themselves authentically, and it is important that they really deliver. So far, most of the reactions have been positive. It is one of the most widely accepted changes that Facebook has ever introduced; the social network has seen annoyance from large groups in the past when layout and privacy settings have been changed.

It is currently unclear how long the testing stage for the new reactions will last. Facebook has not shared when or if new reactions will be available, or whether these options will remain forever. It is unlikely that it will go back to just a generic “like” button that has always had its limitations on the social media site.

[Photo by Stephen Lam/Getty Images]

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