When Facebook began 12 years ago, it was the most popular social media site on the web. Even now, as Twitter and Instagram gain more users, it remains a fixed construct in our minds. “Friending” and “liking” is part of everyday conversation.

You “like” photos on Instagram; you “like” tweets on Twitter, and it all started with the famous thumbs-up button. So why exactly is Facebook adding to the iconic “like?”

Meet Facebook’s new reactions- emoticon symbols that, supposedly, give users a wider variety of emotional responses.  

Facebook Product Manager Sammi Krug said in a public announcement, “We heard from people that they wanted more ways to express themselves on Facebook. People share all kinds of different things, things that make them sad, things that make them happy [and] they didn’t have a way to express empathy.”

The reactions include love, haha, wow, sad, and angry.

Bad move Facebook. They’re completely useless!  I’m sticking to “Thumbs up.” 

One of the complaints Facebook received was how liking a post about death or hard times seemed insensitive. Does liking Rachel’s status of “my dog just died” make you a bad person? Are you liking the fact that her dog is dead?

Of course not. Liking someone’s status doesn’t have any real significance whatsoever. It’s a trivial task that we complete with little thought, mindlessly clicking keys as we scroll past pages of text.

Media Specialist Marsha Thompson said, “I don’t know if it matters. It depends on how much face value people give the ‘like’ button. Does it matter to me? No.”

You don’t need a sad emoticon to express how bad you feel for someone. If users find that simply liking a sad status isn’t appropriate, then how is a teary-eyed face any better? 

Overall, Facebook users range from completely annoyed to mildly amused. Twitter has blown up with responses, from complaints about the overly complicated system and how much time we waste on social media, to people just making fun.

@kmorrison tweeted “#FacebookReactions are amusing. So far the angriest reaction is about bottled water.”

Some people, like @JosephScrimshaw, had their own ideas about the reactions, tweeting, “Better #FacebookReactions: existential dread, seething jealousy, mirthless joy, endless joy…wait this is a list of perfume brands.” 

Now there is a whole new side to Facebook. Should users love a post? Should they “like” a post? Which one is appropriate?

Sites and blogs have actually gone so far as to post guidelines to help people determine which reactions to use and when. 

Things were simpler when you could “like” a post and go on with your life. Now we are burdened with the complex system of reactions- forced to constantly consider our every click to assure that we won’t accidentally offend anyone. 

Facebook doesn’t have any intentions of removing the reactions. Sadly, you’ll have to let the new feature run its course.

If you’re on Facebook, use the reactions as you please. Although don’t stress about the appropriate way to react. At the end of the day, it is just an emoji.