Facebook launching ‘Reactions’ to make ‘Likes’ more expressive

Like it or not, Facebook Inc's trademark "Like" button is set to get more expressive.

The social network said on Thursday it is launching a pilot test of "Reactions," which will allow users to express a range of emotions including love, happiness, anger and sadness.

"Dislike" is not one of them though.

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg said last month the social network was working on adding a button other than "Like" to express empathy on posts where a "Like" would not be the appropriate response.

Users immediately took to the social media site, speculating that the company was working on a "dislike" button.

In a video accompanying a Facebook post by Chief Product Officer Chris Cox on Thursday, the six new buttons appear as animated emoticons and pop up when the "Like" button is long-pressed.

The company said it would start the pilot in Ireland and Spain on iOS, Android and desktops.

The feedback from the pilot test will be used to improve the feature and the company hopes "to roll it out to everyone soon," Cox wrote in the post, which was "liked" by nearly 3,400 users within an hour.

Cox clarified that the button was not a "dislike" button. "As you can see, it's not a "dislike" button, though we hope it addresses the spirit of this request more broadly."

Zuckerberg's comments last month prompted contrasting opinions over the potential "dislike" button.

While some said they would use Facebook more if a dislike button were introduced, others said it would lead to cyberbullying and more negativity on the site.