Reactions for Facebook Messenger were launched in late March, and the feature allows users to ‘react’ with an array of emoji, images and animations to show their love for a message or simply acknowledge it to their friends.
Message Reactions are the ability to react to an individual message with a specific emotion, quickly showing acknowledgement or expressing how you feel in a lightweight way. For example, if someone messages a photo of their cute pet, you could respond with the love reaction. Or, if someone is trying to coordinate dinner plans, you could easily respond with a yes or no reaction to indicate your preferences.
It is the reactions that have brought a huge milestone to the platform this week, reaching 2 billion reactions which (since reactions was introduced) averages to over 30 million per day. Interestingly, there are some analytics available on this. Put your tinfoil hat on for this… Yes, your messages are being tracked and analysed:
- Users 18 – 24 years of age are more likely to use reactions than older age groups who seem to prefer English
- Positive reactions are far more prevalent than angry or sad
- “Yes” a smiley face and “love” are most used in Australia
It is an interesting shift in the way that people communicate, an evolution from text speak of 5 – 10 years ago and it shows that like the other platforms Messenger is evolving with the times.
What would you like to see in Messenger that’s not currently there?
