Sometimes a YouTube video may need feedback other than a simple comment or “like” or “dislike”. YouTube is currently testing time-specific emoji reactions for a small group of channels. With this tested feature, viewers can react with an emoji when a certain moment in a video catches their attention.
Users can also get an insight into how others are reacting throughout a video. Each video’s comments section will have a separate reaction panel that will display emoji reactions so far, similar to features already offered by Facebook Live and Twitch. Regarding the new feature, the YouTube team
said, “If you are watching a video that is part of this test, you can open the comment section of the video and tap the reaction panel to react and see the crowd’s reactions. This test will also show what moments other viewers are reacting to (viewers). “We’re testing multiple sets of responses and will add and subtract different responses depending on the test’s progress.”
Google frequently tests new features on YouTube, but these features are not always generally available. For example, YouTube recently tested allowing users to time their comments to specific points in a video and hiding the “dislike” button. When it comes to user interaction, we can’t say that there are too many options on YouTube.
Emoji reactions have been successful on some of the other social media platforms, while others have not. Twitter has experimented with emoji responses to tweets over the past year, and the reactions have been drastically variable. However, unlike tweets, videos may receive more attention because they are a much longer-lasting interaction tool.
YouTube is currently testing emoji responses on a small number of channels, but may expand the feature depending on how much and how it’s used. Users will be able to use many different emoji reactions, including a face full of tears of joy, a heart, a shocked face, congratulations, a question mark, a light bulb, and a screaming cat.
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