When text messaging first appeared, it actually brought with it a firestorm of unforeseen problems. At the time, texting required that each character be typed individually by a numerical key which required pressing the key again and again to get the right character. A simple phrase like “See you soon” could take a full minute or more of concentrated effort to type.
This created a gap for an entirely new language to develop based on individual characters become entire words. Hence “See you soon” quickly became “c u soon.” Texting made communicating certain basic information such as addresses or phone numbers significantly easier, but as a communication tool, it was essentially the equivalent of sending smoke signals.
What About Tone?
Communication improved with the introduction of full keyboards to type messages, but this still did not solve the problem of “tone.” What few people seemed to be consciously aware of is that in real life interpersonal communications we have the ability to give and receive additional cues that help us decipher the intent of the speaker.
We take these cues from vocal tones, facial expressions, and even body language. Writers who write long articles and books tend to invest a great deal of care in choosing specific words and phrases that they know communicate–or don't communicate–an underlying meaning. Unfortunately, your average texter is not this careful.
From childhood, most of us quickly become aware that our mothers may have 50 different ways of saying our name, and each one communicates something very differently. One way of saying your name communicates that you are in trouble, whereas another communicates you've done something well, while another tells you your mother wants something from you.
Texting caused the world to understand the idea that a single phrase can have a great number of different meanings. Even a simple phrase like “I'll see you later” can have multiple meanings ranging from “I'm breaking up with you” to “I'm looking forward to seeing you later tonight,” or even “Boy, are you in big trouble next time I see you.”
Advent of Emoticons
It was into this chasm of communication that the advent of emoticons arose. Suddenly, we had the ability to not just communicate words, but imbue those words with emotional intent.
Now, “I'll see you later” followed by a smiley face meant that this was to be a happy occasion, while “I'll see you later” followed by a frown meant to be prepared because trouble was brewing.”I'll see you later” followed by a wink could mean something different entirely.
Communication via text message vastly improved when cell phone manufacturers took into consideration the idea that words are meaningless without emotional intent and we actually need emotional cues to decipher the meaning of basic words. Apple was an early adopter of a full range of emojis, which gave text messaging a whole new level of emotional intent.
Liking Has Its Limits
Recently, it seems that Facebook has finally caught up to this understanding with its introduction of a full line of “Facebook Reactions.” Previously, Facebook users only had the option of “liking” or commenting on a post. Facebook is a remarkable tool that connects people in so many different ways, and yet as a true communication tool, it has some limitations. One of these limitations is that people will often open up and share things that others want to support, but “liking” certain revelations seems rather crass or cavalier.
For instance, revelations such as “I just had to put my dog to sleep” or “I just signed my divorce papers” cause people to want to show some form of support, but they haven't had the means to do so. “Liking” the comment has seemed rather inappropriate and even insensitive; until now, it's been the only option people have had. With the introduction of Facebook Reactions, however, people have a more full way of expressing their reactions to a piece of news.
Another drawback to only having one reaction available for any post is that it leaves you no other option but to “like” two pieces of information that you may feel very differently about. For instance, you may want to “like” a picture of a hamburger someone just posted, but then feel rather inadequate simply “liking” the post where a close friend shares that after four years of trying, they are finally going to have the baby they've waited and hoped for.
Introduction of Reactions
Since almost the beginning of Facebook, users have been requesting a “dislike” button, but Mark Zuckerberg has been very vocal about why he has refused to provide one. Instead, Facebook spent more than a year examining and exploring multiple options and conducting significant research into finding a way to create more nuanced reactions than just the “like” button. What came out of that study and research were six new emoticons that allow users to express a far greater range of reactions than just liking or disliking a particular post.
Here are the six reactions you can tell your friends or family when you see a post on your feed:
One of the biggest obstacles Facebook faced was finding a simple range of emoticons that expressed emotions which could be universally understood. Anyone who is familiar with the Japanese emojis chosen by Apple for the iPhone, will understand that emotional expressions are not always read the same way across cultures. An emoji that is used in one context in the U.S. means something very different in Japan, and might be used entirely differently in a European country or the Middle East.
Advertisers 'Like' Facebook Reactions
While Facebook Reactions may be exciting for end users, it is even more exciting for advertisers as people can now share directly how they feel about an advertising campaign. This is going to open up a lot of doors and allow for more creativity as advertisers try get reactions to their ad campaigns.
Also, thanks to demographic information available to companies about Facebook's users, such as their age and interests, the Facebook advertising platform is well targeted. In line with this, when advertisers run Facebook ads, they can choose the audiences to show their content to which ensures relevant information is shown to the right people. Further, with the recent introduction of Reactions, an extension of the Like button, and users having a more nuanced way of sharing their responses to a particular post on Facebook, we can expect Facebook ads to become even more targeted.
For advertisers, the introduction of Reactions will offer them greater insight into the brands users want to see because metrics that already include Likes in ad reports now will also include Reactions. This information can then be used by advertisers to improve their ad campaigns. For Facebook users, such improvements in insight should help limit the number of irrelevant ads they receive.
How Does Facebook Measure Engagement?
According to reports from Facebook, all Reactions are treated the same as Likes for ad delivery. For example, when a user reacts to a post with “Love” this response carries no extra weight than if they were to react with a “Like.” As a result, Reactions will be used as a standard engagement metric.
In line with this, Sammi Krug, a project manager at Facebook, wrote in a recent blog post that if a Facebook user were to “Like” an ad, or react with “Sad,” then the News Feed algorithm will see the responses in the same way (i.e., there will be no distinction). Advertisers will also see the responses in the same way when they are looking at their overall engagement metrics.
However, it has been reported that Facebook is working on advanced artificial intelligence to assess user reactions to posts. Krug said, “Over time we hope to learn how the different Reactions should be weighted differently by News Feed to do a better job of showing everyone the stories they most want to see.”
Within a few years, Reactions will impact Facebook's advertising platform with users being shown fewer ads that they dislike and more relevant advertisements.
What Does This Mean for Small Businesses?
While Facebook is aimed at big brands with insane budgets, small businesses can benefit equally from the Reactions as a way to deal with unhappy customers and increase their customer base. For example, Rebecca Cuthbertson, the owner of Local Leaflet Distributor, says she plans to use Facebook Reaction metrics to help her with customer service issues, in the same way that other businesses use Twitter to deal with customer problems and complaints.
With the improvements to advertising taking place on Facebook, these are exciting times for companies that already advertise there and companies jumping on the bandwagon. Chevrolet is the first such company to join in and take advantage of the improved advertising platform on Facebook–with success. Chevrolet's advertising campaign has done exceptionally well with ad views and engagement metrics at peak level, just in time for the release of the new 2016 Malibu.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5gPrAIr5ULw
It seems that Facebook has struck gold with its new range of reactions, which allows people to respond to posts with a new range of emotions. A heart icon allows people to not just like a post but to love it–and to also send love to someone ill or experiencing a difficult time; an angry emoticon or one shedding a tear provide the opportunity for greater nuanced reactions.
As we learn to better communicate across cultures and with an understanding of emotional content, Facebook is paving the way.
The post Facebook Just Got a Lot More Emotional With 'Facebook Reactions' appeared first on AllBusiness.com
The post Facebook Just Got a Lot More Emotional With 'Facebook Reactions' appeared first on AllBusiness.com.
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