TechCrunch has gotten a tip that Facebook’s Messenger is now displaying Reactions options for some users. For example, when hovering over messages sent by friends via a chat conversation, one can tap the emoji button to select reactions like a thumbs up Like, a LOL or sad smiley, an angry emoji, and even a thumbs down Dislike. Every user who is part of that thread will then be able to see the reaction.
Facebook has since told TechCrunch that it was indeed looking for new ways to make its Messenger even more engaging, and that includes serving up options for the perfect pictogram that will encapsulate what any chat participant is feeling at any moment. It bears noting again that not all users have access to the Reactions options yet. But it is a sure bet that this will be deployed to all Messenger users in the weeks or months to come, because we just can’t get enough of emoji, can we?
It is also worth mentioning that the Reaction options being tested on Messenger is different from from those that appear on the News Feed by virtue of the Dislike button. For several years now, Facebook users have been requesting for such a reaction. But fearing a tidal wave of negative reactions, Mark Zuckerberg’s crew never rolled out such a reaction, and instead opted to make the Dislike button available only in the comments section.
But on Messenger, Facebook is hoping that the Dislike button will serve more like an emoji for expressing “no” instead of being a badge for bashing somebody. After all, chat conversations are venues for discussion, planning, and coordinating -- not status posts, which could attract as many dislikers as likers. In others words, a thumbs up emoji can simply be treated as “yes” while a thumbs down a mere “no” and nothing more.
It has been nearly a year since Facebook first introduced Reaction emoji, and the response has been overwhelmingly positive. To date, there have been already more than 300 billion Reactions sent. Over 50 percent of them are made up of the “Love” reaction. The countries that use the most Reactions per user are Mexico, Chile, and Suriname.
There is a good chance that Reactions options will make it to Messenger, but will these emoji also make its way to Work Chat, Facebook’s chat messaging platform for its business collaboration suite Workplace? There certainly is now strong reason to think otherwise. And there is also talk the Reactions could make it easier for the social media giant’s chatbots to interact more effectively with users.
