Skip to main content

Facebook tests temporary reactions with a flower for Mother's Day

Facebook tests temporary reactions with a flower for Mother's Day

/

Word to your mom

Share this story

It's the Thursday before Mother's Day, which makes it the last day you can comfortably order flowers for your mom without freaking out that they won't arrive in time. But if you forget, or are simply too cheap to spring for an Edible Arrangement, Facebook is offering a digital flower in some markets. The flower was spotted by Twitter user Sreedev Sharma. "To celebrate Mother's Day, we are testing the ability for people in a few markets to leave a flower reaction," the company said in a statement. This marks the first time the company has offered a temporary reaction, and comes three months after it expanded the like button to include a range of other responses.

Facebook did not specify the markets in which the flower will be available. After Mother's Day, you won't be able to leave the flower as a reaction, but it will still appear underneath any posts where it has been added. If Facebook is pleased with the results, I can imagine temporary reactions becoming the company's answer to Google Doodles — a little bit of whimsy that livens up the product at a relatively low cost. It's a small thing, but a nice touch.

Update, May 9th: After this report was published, Facebook decided to roll out its test more broadly. The temporary reaction was made available in most markets where Mother's Day was celebrated, including the united States.