Welp, despite implying last month that Facebook would be getting a Dislike button to go with the Like button, it appears that the site is instead testing a range of six reaction buttons that would offer alternatives to Liking things: Love, Wow, Haha, Yay, Angry, and Sad.
This puts Facebook status reactions in line with texts and tweets, essentially, but keeping the range of Facebook emotions to seven distinct buttons. And this confirms that Mark Zuckerberg really, really does not want a Dislike button.
As Wired reports, Facebook is testing the reaction buttons currently only in Spain and Ireland, because friend networks in those countries tend not to expand beyond national borders, making them well suited for such closed tests.
Facebook's chief producer Chris Cox writes that the company "studied which comments and reactions are most commonly and universally expressed across Facebook, then worked to design an experience around them that was elegant and fun."
These six new reaction emoji may not end up being the final six, depending on how the test goes. That means there's still hope for a middle finger button.
Previously: Facebook Will Get A Dislike Button As Zuckerberg Admits The World Is Not All Like-able