Sign up to get Today’s Best Articles in your inbox
Join 350,000+ subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of
The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.
You are now subscribed
Your newsletter sign-up was successful
Want to add more newsletters?
An account already exists for this email address, please log in.
USA Today tests out Facebook's new emoji on its front page — with questionable results
Earlier this week, Facebook announced it's testing "Reactions," a set of six emoji-based buttons that will allow users the long overdue ability to respond to content in a more emotionally sensitive way. On Friday, USA Today, clearly feeling the buzz around the impending debut, decided to give the emoji a test run on its own front page:
That's right, in case you were unsure how to feel about the day's news, Friday's edition of the paper uses the emoji to provide handy emotional cues, like a sad face next to a story about a stabbing, an angry face next to an article about Russia's misdirected missiles, and a big wow face next to an item about Kevin McCarthy's decision to drop out of the race for House speaker.
AdWeek reached out to USA Today Editor-in-Chief David Callaway for a little more information behind the editorial decision:
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.
Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.
Was there any concern about these emojis seeming too flippant next to serious content like the stabbing or Syria?Yes, of course there was discussion about being too flippant.Whose decision was it to use the emojis? Was there much debate among the editorial team?My feeling (as editor-in-chief) is that a billion FB users may soon start using these to share stories—all kinds of stories—which of course is Facebook's intention. Social media and its icons are becoming a dominant form of communication in our world. We wanted to show what they would be like if transferred to print. [AdWeek]
Head over to AdWeek to read the rest of the interview.
Sign up to get Today’s Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the day’s biggest news and analysis – and the best features from TheWeek.com
