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Abstract
New features of social network platforms afford users the ability to navigate potentially sensitive situations in ways they could not before. This study surveyed 260 Facebook users to uncover how people are using this social media platform’s new “reaction” buttons to respond to others’ posts about negative topics such as traumatic life situations, catastrophic current or past events, and interpersonal crises. Results suggest that users do not perceive the reaction buttons as adequate tools to help them interact with those that are close to them. Instead, these new paralinguistic digital affordances seem to help users engage in social grooming.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.
Notes
1. These are also the terms Facebook uses to describe their reactions or PDAs on their brand resource center page.
Additional information
Notes on contributors
Erin Spottswood
Dr. Erin Spottswood is an assistant professor at Portland State University. Her research focuses on 1) how subtle cues embedded in online environments influence interpersonal communication dynamics, and 2) how the concepts of identity and face are crucial to understanding these dynamics on social media sites.
Donghee Yvette Wohn
Dr. Wohn is an assistant professor at NJIT and director of the Social Interaction Lab (socialinteractionlab.com). Her research is in the area of Human Computer Interaction (HCI) where she studies the role of algorithms and social interactions in livestreaming, esports, gaming, and social media.