Facebook rolling out new emojis as a kinder way for users to express themselves.
Social network adds emoji icons expressing wide range of emotions
MENLO PARK — Facebook on Thursday said it’s testing a way for people to react to posts by using emojis that express sadness, love, anger, excitement and other emotions, going beyond its signature thumbs-up “like” button.
“Reactions gives you new ways to express love, awe, humor and sadness. It’s not a dislike button, but it does give you the power to easily express sorrow and empathy — in addition to delight and warmth,” Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg wrote in a post about the new feature.
The new tool is being rolled out first in Ireland and Spain, then to other countries once the social media giant gets some more feedback. It includes six new emojis: Love, Haha, Yay, Wow, Sad and Angry.
But as the social media giant allows its 1.5 billion users to respond to others with more emotion, Facebook will also have to tread carefully, experts say, making sure the website doesn’t morph into a place of negativity.
“It’s a very delicate matter because Facebook is trying to provide you with a positive experience. If you post a photo or a status update, Facebook doesn’t want people to criticize you or offend you or make racist comments because this wouldn’t be a good experience for the user,” said Michal Kosinski, an assistant professor at Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business, who has studied social media.
That includes offending advertisers and businesses that could see their Facebook posts fall lower on a customer’s News Feed if the user expresses a negative emotion. The social media giant has gotten into some hot water before for a “fat” emoji people could post with a status update and for manipulating News Feed to study users’ emotions.
Facebook users, though, have
long asked the social network for a way to respond to another person’s post besides a “like,” which is often an awkward emotion to express when a friend posts about a death or accident. Still, the new feature could be used to a business’s advantage.
“The feedback that marketers will get on their posts will be richer. They will be able to determine not only if someone liked something, but also if their post made a user feel sad, angry or annoyed, for example. This is valuable feedback that will help them create better posts,” said Debra Aho Williamson, an analyst with eMarketer.
Family Online Safety Institute Founder and CEO Stephen Balkam said he’s hovered over the “like” button when sad news appeared on Facebook, deciding instead to steer clear of the button.
“My favorite of the buttons is the sad button right now just because it’s such an important emotion to be able to express,” he said.
But Balkam is a little concerned about the red-faced, furrowed-brow angry button, which he said could be misused.
“Anyone could indiscriminately start posting angry buttons all over Facebook. They’re angry at their friends, the government or whatever. Particularly for some kids or adults to receive a button that is ferociously looking angry could be distressing,” he said.
About 74 percent of Americans say they use emojis, according to a study by tech firm Swiftkey.
Presidential candidate Hilary Clinton took to Twitter in August to ask people to share their thoughts on student loan debt using three emojis or less. You can order a Domino’s pizza by sending a pizza emoji and Chevrolet wrote a press release entirely in emoji.
But as emojis continue to become more mainstream, some Facebook users are yearning for the days of face-to-face conversations.
“I feel it is a way to no longer use words but to use symbols to express like or dislike. Today we are no longer talking on the phone, we are using symbols to express anger, sadness and love,” said 29-year-old Alyssa Flowers, a graduate of San Jose State.