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Facebook is making a button that will soon allow you to effortlessly display empathy on their platform, an emotion poorly captured by the simplistic "like." To set the record straight: The button under development is being called a "dislike" button, but it's more about showing you care than it is a sign of disapproval. Facebook hopes it will help you send a respectful response about bad news — that is, without the trouble of you working very hard to express it.
Facebook's Dislike Button is my generation's moon landing.
— Downtown Josh Brown (@ReformedBroker) September 16, 2015
Many including Conan O'Brien have called for Facebook to offer more than two reaction buttons; he yelled "That's not enough!" during a recent show before suggesting Facebook get a few more emotionally complex buttons.
We should have a reaction button option for every possible feeling
Why stop at creating one Facebook button? Why don't more social networks give us hundreds or thousands of options? Maybe the internet would be more emotionally healthy, and less filled with outrage or sugary clickbait, if social networks gave us better ways to express our feelings.
Facebook To Add "Conflicted, But Have To 'Like' For Reasons of Office or Family Politics" button
— Olivier Knox (@OKnox) September 16, 2015
Think about it: The world already loves emoji and we use buttons a lot like them. Second, icons are no trend in human communication; it's part of our linguistic legacy to express the human experience in every way we imagine.
How am I properly supposed to convey my emotions when there's no taco emoji?
— Jamika Davies (@JamikaDavies) September 17, 2015
No middle finger emoji so far? Apple what's good? #iOS9 pic.twitter.com/CMPm7JDWVs
— Rodz Williams (@RodzWilliams) September 17, 2015
They should make a i clicked maybe to be nice I'm totally not going button on Facebook
— B™ (@Brentonamobay11) September 17, 2015
An association between emoji and superficiality has hurt the credibility of emotionally-driven icons. Many, like the New York Times, have gone so far as to declare that "emoji have won the battle of words." In case you're wondering which side of this battle you're on, the Times offers a quiz to determine your emoji knowledge called "Are You Fluent in Emoji?"
I hate it when ppl say "lol" when you have and iPhone.. like boi just use the emoji " "
— Crystal Bergman (@Crystalpistel) September 17, 2015
Imagine what an internet of infinite reactions looks like
Build a better social button for yourself using this random generator. It will give you a meme-friendly button idea for Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, Pinterest, Snapchat, WhatsApp, Vine, Instagram, Line (a messaging app), Slack, and SoundCloud.
