Strip social media back to its bare bones and you find that it has two purposes.
The first is to help us communicate. Thanks to Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn and others, we’ve never been so connected. We sign up to stay in touch with friends, find like-minded people and feel part of a thriving digital society.
The second, sitting under the radar, is to find out how we’re feeling. The ability of social media platforms to guess our attitudes towards a given stimulus is what gives them power and value. Over time, they get better at presenting us with things we find interesting, satisfying and alluring.
Then, once they’ve got our attention, they sell that attention to advertisers. The more detailed the picture of our likes and dislikes, the more money that can be made.
Getting us to express how we feel about things isn't always easy, though –we're busy creatures. But, five years ago, Facebook launched Reactions, a series of emoji positioned under every piece of content which let us give an emotional response without having to type anything. Alongside the thumbs-up "Like", there were five new options to choose from: Love, Haha, Wow, Sad or Angry.
Now, after years of blowing hot and cold on the idea, Twitter is surveying its community on how it might feel about a similar set being introduced to the platform. “We’re exploring additional ways for people to express themselves,” said a spokesperson. The unannounced subtext: they’d like to get to know more about us.
Users of social media don’t like change, and Twitter's are more pernickety than most. When the platform changed its star button (effectively a bookmark) to a heart button in late 2015, the irritation was palpable; many resented what they saw as unnecessary infantilisation, a process of dumbing down. But, eventually, they got used to it.
The same happened when Facebook Reactions launched a few months later. They received a distinctly lukewarm reception, as people shunned them in favour of the “Like” button they were more familiar with. But, over the summer of 2016, usage picked up. By 2018, clicks on the six Reactions constituted 12.8 per cent of all interactions on Facebook.
“It's now not uncommon to see posts with much higher numbers of 'hearts' or 'wow' or 'angry' emoji than regular likes,” says British digital marketing consultant Dan Barker. People soon realised the value of being able to specify annoyance, adoration or amazement.
This, of course, also brought value to Facebook, because the marketing industry doesn’t place great importance on a “like”. It doesn’t reveal as much about someone if they’d made the effort to share a post or leave a comment. Reactions, however, can build a more detailed profile of users who are hardest to reach: the ones who can’t be bothered to share or comment, but are happy to click a button. They can also help to categorise and promote posts.
A little like a stranger holding a door open, or deliberately leaving it to slam, they have the opportunity to allow little positive and negative gestures that affect our daily lives
“Platforms are able to show people much more of the types of content that generate 'awesome' or 'angry' responses than just vanilla content,” says Barker. “And that’s interesting from a human point of view: designing algorithms to trigger particular emotional responses, and to do so at a much greater frequency than humans would normally deal with.
“They also allow the measurement of things that could explicitly be used for ad sales. For example: 'Your promoted trend was interacted with 10,000,000 times, with a high support rating, low anger rating, moderate awesome rating’, rather than just reporting on the number of views.”
Facebook put in the work in establishing Reactions as a social media norm, risking the ire of its community, but it paid off – and over the past 18 months, many other platforms have followed suit.
In 2019, LinkedIn responded to users who apparently demanded “more ways to feel heard” by introducing a series of new reactions: Celebrate, Love, Insightful and Curious. (Shortly afterwards, they added “Support”, too.) A company blog post explained that this would help “the poster understand the impact their post had on the person who reacted". Crucially, it would help LinkedIn understand the same thing.
In January 2020, Twitter introduced reactions (LOL, Shocked, Crying, Heart and Fire) to its direct message section. Google Duo did, too. Last summer, they began to crop up on messaging apps. As Covid-19 swept the world, Facebook added a Hug to its reactions. And now, as Twitter considers bringing them to its public platform, Instagram is testing an expansion of reactions on its Stories platform, widening the scope of emotions that can be expressed with a press of the thumb. It is expected to launch imminently.
With reactions now an established part of the online lexicon, the response to Twitter’s survey has been more of a shrug of acceptance than a howl of anguish. Yes, there are dissenting voices (“Emojis everywhere ... as Twitter's magic is simplicity I hope this won't come,” tweeted one user), but there’s a growing recognition that they have their place. “I like how this is more versatile and easier for people to express emotions,” tweeted another.
“I think they're useful,” says Barker. “You could argue they just waste more time in the day, but … a little like a stranger holding a door open, or deliberately leaving it to slam, they have the opportunity to allow little positive and negative gestures that affect our daily lives.”
The only significant pushback has been over the idea of negative sentiment; one of Twitter’s ideas is a series of icons to represent liking or disliking, agreeing or disagreeing. Would these be seen as “constructive” feedback, asks Twitter? Apparently not.
While we’re happy to reveal our feelings to the world (and to the world’s advertisers), one thing still causes consternation: giving people the opportunity to dismiss us with a mere click. That hurts. For Facebook and Twitter, that particular data point will be very hard won.
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh117,059
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Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
GOLF’S RAHMBO
- 5 wins in 22 months as pro
- Three wins in past 10 starts
- 45 pro starts worldwide: 5 wins, 17 top 5s
- Ranked 551th in world on debut, now No 4 (was No 2 earlier this year)
- 5th player in last 30 years to win 3 European Tour and 2 PGA Tour titles before age 24 (Woods, Garcia, McIlroy, Spieth)
RESULTS
6.30pm Al Maktoum Challenge Round-2 – Group 1 (PA) $49,000 (Dirt) 1,900m
Winner RB Frynchh Dude, Pat Cosgrave (jockey), Helal Al Alawi (trainer)
7.05pm Al Bastakiya Trial – Conditions (TB) $50,000 (D) 1,900m
Winner El Patriota, Vagner Leal, Antonio Cintra
7.40pm Zabeel Turf – Listed (TB) $88,000 (Turf) 2,000m
Winner Ya Hayati, Mickael Barzalona, Charlie Appleby
8.15pm Cape Verdi – Group 2 (TB) $163,000 (T) 1,600m
Winner Althiqa, James Doyle, Charlie Appleby
8.50pm UAE 1000 Guineas – Listed (TB) $125,000 (D) 1,600m
Winner Soft Whisper, Frankie Dettori, Saeed bin Suroor
9.25pm Handicap (TB) $68,000 (T) 1,600m
Winner Bedouin’s Story, Frankie Dettori, Saeed bin Suroor
RESULT
Manchester City 1 Sheffield United 0
Man City: Jesus (9')
MO
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Blackpink World Tour [Born Pink] In Cinemas
Starring: Rose, Jisoo, Jennie, Lisa
Directors: Min Geun, Oh Yoon-Dong
Rating: 3/5
Results
5pm: Wadi Nagab – Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 (Turf) 1,200m; Winner: Al Falaq, Antonio Fresu (jockey), Ahmed Al Shemaili (trainer)
5.30pm: Wadi Sidr – Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 1,200m; Winner: AF Majalis, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel
6pm: Wathba Stallions Cup – Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 (T) 2,200m; Winner: AF Fakhama, Fernando Jara, Mohamed Daggash
6.30pm: Wadi Shees – Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 2,200m; Winner: Mutaqadim, Antonio Fresu, Ibrahim Al Hadhrami
7pm: Arabian Triple Crown Round-1 – Listed (PA) Dh230,000 (T) 1,600m; Winner: Bahar Muscat, Antonio Fresu, Ibrahim Al Hadhrami
7.30pm: Wadi Tayyibah – Maiden (TB) Dh80,000 (T) 1,600m; Winner: Poster Paint, Patrick Cosgrave, Bhupat Seemar
The years Ramadan fell in May
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More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
The specs
Engine: 6.2-litre supercharged V8
Power: 712hp at 6,100rpm
Torque: 881Nm at 4,800rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 19.6 l/100km
Price: Dh380,000
On sale: now
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
Our legal columnist
Name: Yousef Al Bahar
Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994
Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers
Profile Idealz
Company: Idealz
Founded: January 2018
Based: Dubai
Sector: E-commerce
Size: (employees): 22
Investors: Co-founders and Venture Partners (9 per cent)
World Cricket League Division 2
In Windhoek, Namibia - Top two teams qualify for the World Cup Qualifier in Zimbabwe, which starts on March 4.
UAE fixtures
Thursday, February 8 v Kenya; Friday, February 9 v Canada; Sunday, February 11 v Nepal; Monday, February 12 v Oman; Wednesday, February 14 v Namibia; Thursday, February 15 final
AGL AWARDS
Golden Ball - best Emirati player: Khalfan Mubarak (Al Jazira)
Golden Ball - best foreign player: Igor Coronado (Sharjah)
Golden Glove - best goalkeeper: Adel Al Hosani (Sharjah)
Best Coach - the leader: Abdulaziz Al Anbari (Sharjah)
Fans' Player of the Year: Driss Fetouhi (Dibba)
Golden Boy - best young player: Ali Saleh (Al Wasl)
Best Fans of the Year: Sharjah
Goal of the Year: Michael Ortega (Baniyas)
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
What are the GCSE grade equivalents?
- Grade 9 = above an A*
- Grade 8 = between grades A* and A
- Grade 7 = grade A
- Grade 6 = just above a grade B
- Grade 5 = between grades B and C
- Grade 4 = grade C
- Grade 3 = between grades D and E
- Grade 2 = between grades E and F
- Grade 1 = between grades F and G
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The specs
Engine: 2.5-litre, turbocharged 5-cylinder
Transmission: seven-speed auto
Power: 400hp
Torque: 500Nm
Price: Dh300,000 (estimate)
On sale: 2022
FA Cup quarter-final draw
The matches will be played across the weekend of 21 and 22 March
Sheffield United v Arsenal
Newcastle v Manchester City
Norwich v Derby/Manchester United
Leicester City v Chelsea
What the law says
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
What is the FNC?
The Federal National Council is one of five federal authorities established by the UAE constitution. It held its first session on December 2, 1972, a year to the day after Federation.
It has 40 members, eight of whom are women. The members represent the UAE population through each of the emirates. Abu Dhabi and Dubai have eight members each, Sharjah and Ras al Khaimah six, and Ajman, Fujairah and Umm Al Quwain have four.
They bring Emirati issues to the council for debate and put those concerns to ministers summoned for questioning.
The FNC’s main functions include passing, amending or rejecting federal draft laws, discussing international treaties and agreements, and offering recommendations on general subjects raised during sessions.
Federal draft laws must first pass through the FNC for recommendations when members can amend the laws to suit the needs of citizens. The draft laws are then forwarded to the Cabinet for consideration and approval.
Since 2006, half of the members have been elected by UAE citizens to serve four-year terms and the other half are appointed by the Ruler’s Courts of the seven emirates.
In the 2015 elections, 78 of the 252 candidates were women. Women also represented 48 per cent of all voters and 67 per cent of the voters were under the age of 40.
Venue: Sharjah Cricket Stadium
Date: Sunday, November 25
The National in Davos
We are bringing you the inside story from the World Economic Forum's Annual Meeting in Davos, a gathering of hundreds of world leaders, top executives and billionaires.
ARGYLLE
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RACE CARD
4pm Al Bastakiya – Listed (TB) $150,000 (Dirt) 1,900m
4.35pm Dubai City Of Gold – Group 2 (TB) $228,000 (Turf) 2,410m
5.10pm Mahab Al Shimaal – Group 3 (TB) $228,000 (D) 1,200m
5.45pm Burj Nahaar – Group 3 (TB) $228,000 (D) 1,600m
6.20pm Jebel Hatta – Group 1 (TB) $260,000 (T) 1,800m
6.55pm Al Maktoum Challenge Round-1 – Group 1 (TB) $390,000 (D) 2,000m
7.30pm Nad Al Sheba – Group 3 (TB) $228,000 (T) 1,200m
Cherry
Directed by: Joe and Anthony Russo
Starring: Tom Holland, Ciara Bravo
1/5
