Facebook has unveiled a new 'Care' reaction for COVID-19 related posts for users to express their response.
After being under testing for a month the new reaction will now be available for both Facebook and Messenger users. The reaction is a smiley face-hugging a heart.
You can now also change your heart reacts to purple.
Facebook has said that the new Reaction is another option for users to express their emotions regarding the virus.
According to Facebook:
“This idea of a hug reaction came back consistently as one of the emotions and feelings that were missing from Reactions, so that’s something that was always on our minds. And with the crisis that we're going through right now, there's no doubt that people need more compassion, more support.”
Facebook has added that providing more ways to sympathize during the COVID-19 crisis can help normalize this difficult time, which will help people cope with the situation. Given this, Facebook has said that the 'Care' reaction won't be taken down after the coronavirus crisis, that if it performs well.
“[COVID-19] is going to help us really understand how people are using it, whether they are finding value and whether this reaction is really specific to the moment in time that we are going through or if it’s more evergreen. Based on that, we'll decide whether we keep it or whether we remove it at the end of this crisis," added Facebook.
Facebook has added different temporary reactions in the past as well for specific regions, one of which includes the 'Thankful' reaction that was a flower emoji and a set of Star Trek and Halloween reactions.
We will have to wait to see if the new reaction will help users engage with posts and if it will end up on the platform for long. The Care reaction will also allow people to show their support for causes and NGOs and help create more positive conversations on Facebook as compared to the Angry reacts that also depicted hate.
However it turns out, it is an interesting addition and will be available soon for users.
