Facebook Sent Me Flowers For Mother’s Day
On Mother’s Day morning, after being allowed to sleep in (a bit), I was greeted by a hot tea and my three little trolls jumping onto me in the bed. After lots of snuggling, we took a very cute picture which I posted on Facebook. A bit later, after breakfast, I was scrolling through my Facebook feed and was greeted by a cascade of flowers! “How Cool!” I thought, and then immediately wondered how I could leave a similar reaction for my other mommy friends around the world. While ‘liking’ other friends’ posts, I soon noticed the purple “Thankful” flower as an option mixed right in the middle of the other Facebook reactions.
A quick Google search filled me in that Facebook was testing a new “Thankful” flower on Mother’s Day as a temporary addition to Facebook Reactions. According to Time Magazine, the company announced in a statement that “In honor of Mother’s Day we are testing the ability for people in a few markets to leave a flower reaction." Time Magazine and other media outlets reported that it would not be available after Mother’s Day. I did check on Monday morning and it was still there. Yay!
It’s hard to say whether this means Facebook is satisfied with the recently launched Reactions feature, or perhaps they felt it needed a little boost. Maybe Facebook is moving its animated Reactions line toward the direction of Snapchat’s ever-changing filters and geofilters. But I can say that for me, personally, it did give me a little boost seeing purple flowers float across my phone. (Note to my trolls: They do not replace the real thing.)
This could also mean new opportunities for Facebook advertisers...perhaps being able to use a 'Dorito 🔺' reaction during the Super Bowl, or maybe a ‘Dress 👗’ reaction for Tom Ford during the Oscars. The possibilities similar to Twitter’s sponsored hashtag emojis crossed my mind.
This also leads me to wonder what is next for Father’s Day? Can we expect to see a hammer or a beer mug? Time will tell. For now I will enjoy my virtual bouquet. Thanks Facebook!