Facebook’s Like Button has got 5 new friends. By hovering over the good old Like button, you meet *Love*, *Haha*, *Wow*, *Sad* and *Angry*. So, now your simple update can generate five different reactions and you have more ways to express and engage on Facebook.
Since the company announced the arrival of these Reactions, there’s a lot of excited anticipation on Facebook.
And now that these Reactions are here, I think they are going to cause much havoc and grief than it’s worth. Here’s why…
- You will be wasting spending more time than ever on Facebook. For now, you will be taking the time to first hover the cursor over the Like button and then deciding whether to Love or Haha or simply Like that status or picture.
- You will be over analysing your relationships. ‘Oh, she just liked my picture. Jealous B!’, ‘Oh My God! He LOVED my status!!’, or ‘Why is he loving all my pics and updates?’
- With the earlier just the Like button, Facebooking was simpler. All you had to see was the number of Likes your update or new profile pic got. But now, you will have an additional task at hand. Yes, you will be tracking how many Loves, Wows and Hahas you got and if you are the one who’d also track from whom you got these reactions and why too, then I wish there was a *Rolls Eyes* reaction too!
- This Haha reaction may cause some real misunderstandings. Is the person who Haha-ed your update, laughing with you or laughing at you?? Think before Haha-ing any update!!
- Your life will get more complex. In the good old days know you knew what your friends like or ‘Like’. But now you will have a tough time understanding and knowing who thinks what and may be ponder ‘Why?!’
- Warfare!! Yes, these reactions have the potential to start a mayhem on a post with heated debates and arguments. You can relax for the time being, as these reactions are restricted only to main updates / posts and are not applicable to the comments. But that day is not far when you would show reactions to comments too! I need a *Shudder* reaction.
- Grammar Nazis will have one more reason to crib and/or revolt because soon friends will say, “I Sadded his post of tragic accident”.
![sad[3]](https://shilpaagarg.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/sad3.gif "sad[3]")
Of all these 5 reactions, my vote is for *Sad*. I think this one was certainly needed. No, don’t get me wrong. Allow me to explain. Earlier, the sad and tragic news or update too received Likes. That appeared to be truly insensitive and crass. Why people Liked such news is beyond my comprehension, still. I mean they can simply express their concern or grief in the comments. Anyways, now, you can express appropriately and share your *Sad* reaction without typing any comment!
Now that these new reactions are here, we can’t do much about it, but I seriously wish that there was a *Dislike* and a *Rolls Eyes* button. Hope that they are rolled out in the near future.
In the mean time, have a good time reacting on Facebook.
What’s your take on these new Facebook Reactions? Loved them? Or it’s Haha or Wow for you? Or are you Sad and Angry too? Do share your Reactions!
62 Responses
To be very honest, I treat Facebook as a strictly humour platform these days for personal updates 😉 My blog posts are shared and so are my (at least in my mind) funny updates. Not tracking number of likes or views as such.
But I agree that there is more scope for misunderstanding and more reason for people to worry now thanks to the Reactions buttons. Ah well, life is never going to be simple with Facebook. Best is to live and enjoy life without stressing over it all 🙂
True, if you use Facebook in a detached way, then you are assured of a lot of laughs. But once you get ’emotional’ about it, then it’s a sure shot recipe for heartburn, misunderstandings and not to mention the time that it sucks.
Ditto to what Shailaja told. I don’t track likes, so not going to be bothered to track loves, wows, hahas etc. 🙂 Though interpretation of it may indeed wreak havoc. It gave you something to write about, so that’s a positive, no? 😛
Hmmm… have seen quite a few people (adults, I mean… not kids) who track likes and comments on their posts and brag about it too. Oh yes, everything has two sides 😀
Shilpa, too good a post!!
Thanks a lot, Ruchi 🙂
I am worried that the misunderstanding and confusion may increase. Such is human nature. 🙂 But like you I like the sad button at least for tragic news.
True that, and I really dread that situation! I think Sad button was really needed. But we could certainly do with Dislike and Rolls Eyes button too 😉
I agree with you, Shilpa!
I first saw these reactions yesterday. Unfortunately, I had cause to use one. :/
I am so sorry about your pets, LuAnn! Hope you are feeling better! Hugs!
I too would like to see Dislike, but Angry is a close cousin of it anyway 😛
Destination Infinity
Yes, I want Dislike too. Angry… hmmm… it’s ok.. it’s a bit strong reaction though 😛
It’s definitely going to be very interesting…. and exhausting if I begin to think about how to react each time.
You bet!! 😀
Ha! I know it’s going to be a havoc and people will spend even more time on FB 😉 But yes – I wish there was a “I don’t care” reaction. That woudl be so much fun.
‘I dont care’ is a nice one… yes, we must have that as well 😀
I’ve never tracked likes or views on my personal profile and don’t care, really. That said, the buttons still haven’t appeared on my Facebook. I’d rather have a dialogue with someone than have them silently clicking a button and not saying anything. 😛 The sad one is useful for bad news. People are giving them more importance than they deserve, IMO.
I know what you mean, Debbie. A meaningful conversation is any day better and helps connect better. These likes et al are merely for acknowledging that you have read or are in congruence with the thought/pic etc but now you can show your anger and sadness too. Hope you have got these reactions in your part of the world by now. 🙂
haha!! Love the humor in your post, Shilpa. Honestly, I find those buttons quite a fad to pep things up.
Thanks Vishal. Glad you liked this post! 🙂
Oh, yes, they did create a lot of buzz!
‘I sadded his post of tragic accident’ – That makes me wish for a ‘shudder’ reaction! But generally speaking, yes, FB has figured out more ways to waste our time, and I could really do with a rolling eyes reaction! 😛
You are spot on, Shantala, true, Facebook truly wants to lock us all into their FB platform, never to go anywhere else or use anything else!! 🙄 And we are all sucked and hooked into it, sadly!
I find the reactions so amusing. I think most people will hover, look at the reactions and simply like and move on – by sheer habit. Some will mischievously experiment.
Me, I will stick to like and with close friends, love. I loved your post Shilpa! Such an enjoyable read!
You are spot on with that Vidya! After ‘reacting’ on a few posts initially, I am back to plain simple old Like.
Thanks a lot, Vidya, glad you enjoyed reading this post! 🙂
Facebook is already causing a lot of stress in everybodys lives and this is only going to add on…
You bet 🙄
And that’s what I was missing. Shilpa style. Honestly, FB has become a war zone. It plays with the emotion of people and they let it. No sense of respect for anyone is left. You don’t agree with me, wait until I humiliate you publicly. I mean it is do funny that one wants to fight it out instead of a healthy discussion. I have completely stopped following these religious and political updates. If I do, my friend list will come down drastically. I am yet to react to any post. May be I should go and react right away. 😛
Aww! Thank you so much, Rekha! This made my day ♥
Just today, I read this quote, “Our culture has accepted two huge lies. The first is that if you disagree with someone’s lifestyle, you must fear or hate them. The second is that to love someone means you agree with everything they believe or do. Both are nonsense. You don’t have to compromise convictions to be compassionate.” And this is exactly replicated on FB. If you dont agree with my views, I will rip you apart! I was aghast with the way some people were ‘discussing’ about JNU row and JAT agitation on Facebook! How was your experience of reacting on a post? 😀
Honestly facebook for me is to read through my subscribed quotations, inspirational thoughts, and other interesting articles….. and to catch up with my friends’ lives..
. yes these choices for ‘likes’ do consume time….
And that’s a much saner way to use FB, Pratikshya! You have got it right!! Thumbs up for that! 🙂
I do concentrate only on the posts but not mostly on likes. But I love <3 feature. I agree with you that this is going to create more havoc. Indeed this is 😎 timely useful post. Thanks for sharing !
Hmmm… taking stock of Likes etc is so juvenile. But then we have those who take it very seriously. 🙄 Thanks Vasantha, glad that you liked this post 🙂
😛 Super post on emoji a recent feature on Facebook by the Facebook for us .. 🙂
Thank you, Wisdomtree 🙂
Hey Shilpa,
Such a timely post, enjoyed reading it. Facebook was once a fun filled platform to stay in touch with friends – now it’s no longer so and much beyond what it began with. It’s changing lives, helping people find support when they need it and sometimes triggering anger, jealousy, etc. Ultimately, the ingredient that makes it work is the user’s mindset. FB will keep rolling out innovative tools and options but how we use it is going to be an interesting study in itself.
As of now, I liked the Facebook reactions but I am not spending more time because of it. ‘Sad’ is an important option just as you have mentioned because it brings in the much needed element of sensitivity in reading and responding to certain kinds of updates.
Agree with you completely, Swapna. It all depends on how you use it. I know a few people who use FB to spy or to keep a track of the lives of their friends in an unhealthy way. It gave me creeps when I got to know about their FB habits! Oh yes, Sad button was truly needed.
I don’t visit facebook on a regular basis. Just noticed this change, and found it amusing! Sad option was really needed. Loved this post!
Wow! It’s admirable that you are away from Facebook and using it just right! Thanks a lot, Payal. Glad you enjoyed reading this post!
I realised this today morning when debating whether to like or love a post. Its spot on.
Aah! So, it’s true!!
I’m prepared to give it a go but I do like your idea of a “rolls eyes” button.
I am sure, I’ll be using the ‘Rolls Eyes’ button a LOT 😀
Loved the article and i have the same feeling about Facebook reactions .. they will cause more problems and I find them more time consuming.
Thanks a lot, Jaspal. Glad you enjoyed reading this post! Oh yes, these reactions are going to suck in more time!
Roll your eyes looks completely catchy to me too! And yes, with too many options to hover, it’s actually a waste of time. For both. The one who is liked and the one who is liking at the same time.
Great take Shilpa 🙂
Cheers
Aha! We have a lot of votes here for ‘Rolls Eyes’ button 😀 True, a total time consuming feature, if used religiously. Thanks Geetika 🙂
I used my first haha today 😛 I didn’t even know what was going on until yesterday. To be frank I don’t even understand why they are making this whole liking business complex. Sure there might be wars and grammar nazis just got one more reason to be pissed 😛
Haha, FB sure knows to make our life interesting 😀
Interesting. I am not in the Facebook.
Hi SG! So good to see you here. How have you been! Long long time! Not on FB… well you are the wisest one! 🙂
You’ve hit the nail on head with this post, Shilpa. Fb is already taking too much space and time in our lives. This is just a way to hook people to facebooking even more (grammar will have to get used to being sidelined!)
True. Facebook is really addictive and because of this we waste so much of our time! 😐
Facebook is definitely nothing but a waste of time.. imagine all the time we spend on it .. if only we put that time on something useful 🙂
I cant understand how someone can spend so much time
Bikram’s
You said it, Bikram! If you are hooked to know what’s going on in the lives of others, even 24 hours per day would be less for you!!
Waste of time as you say Shilpa. More choices more confusion…i think less is more..i will stick to ‘like’ only and that too my like is reserved for rare changes of DP( not people who change their DP frequently) and special status.Otherwise i am on FB these days only as a member of a few informative and interesting groups.
You use Facebook in the best way! Love your approach towards it!!
Very interesting post 🙂
Glad you liked it, Parijat 🙂
I agree with you. You have made fair n good points. People , when before used to be satisfied with mere likes, will now be analysing the reactions of others on their posts. Why he wow-ed her picture and I had a like only or as you said s/he haha-ed with me or on me!!!! Anyway Facebooks keeps on coming up with engaging changes to keep its audience interested. Good post 🙂
True… these are all strategies and gimmicks to keep us more hooked and engaged on this platform! 😀
Thanks Shesha, glad you enjoyed reading this post!
Hahaha, I am yet to get fully onboarded onto this new crazy. Till then, I enjoyed this post ☺️