The creation of a dislike button has long been encouraged by Facebookers. And now, Facebook have finally found a solution to these demands. Whereas a dislike button could be used as a mechanism to down-vote posts and contribute to cyber-bullying, Facebook’s solution seems to solve these problems. Facebook is developing 7 different emotions to be used instead of the Like button, such as love, laugh, cry, anger and shock. This development is aimed to increase empathy through social media, as ‘liking’ a status is sometimes not appropriate if the topic is sad or serious. These new Facebook reactions are being tested in Ireland and Spain, but while we wait, let’s think about how this update can be used by savvy marketers.

For brands, this feature unlocks a lot of potential in determining what consumers are feeling, and why they are feeling it. The increased specificity through using these reactions will give marketers a huge insight into how their social media posts are being perceived by their market. The emotional experience of consumers has a massive impact in their loyalty to a brand, Forrester analyst Megan Burns stating, "Emotion was the No. 1 factor in customer loyalty across 17 of the 18 industries that we studied".

Although there are many positives to Facebook’s potential update, there are still many unknowns. How will the new Facebook algorithm work in relation to post reach and popularity. The ‘Like’ system was simple: the more likes, the more reach (generally). However with other reactions available, ‘Likes’ will not have the same impact. Will the ‘Love’ reaction or the ‘Wow’ reaction have more impact? And what about this ‘Angry’ reaction? If a post gives awareness of a social or political issue which angers people, then the ‘Angry’ reaction should not solely have a negative impact on post reach.