The awkward semantics of Facebook reactions

Facebook originally had a single reaction feature, like, which was updated in 2016 with five other options, and again in 2020 with a sixth. The intended meanings of these features remains unclear: they are both constrained in expressive range and potentially confused with one another. This study examines the distribution of these reactions across seven samples of Facebook posts to evaluate their potential meanings and assess their comparability across contexts, in terms of three current approaches to interpreting social media meanings: engagement, sentiment, and face-work. The reactions’ distribution is complex and unstable across samples and the available aggregate data does not reveal face-work patterns which are otherwise readily observable. In conclusion, cautions are offered regarding interpreting quantitative analyses of reaction features.