Youtube are trialling a new feature that will allow users to react to certain parts of a video through emojis. Emoji reactions will be displayed in a separate portion of the comment section.
A representative of Team Youtube, Meaghan, explained the new idea and how it is currently only a trial.
“If you’re watching a video that is part of this experiment, you can react and see crowd reactions by opening the comment section of the video and tapping into the reaction panel. The test will also show you which moments other viewers are reacting to (which will be anonymized – we won’t show who sent each reaction). We’re testing multiple sets of reactions and will add or remove reactions based on how the experiment goes!”
Credit: Youtube
It is worth noting that Google announced that they would be removing the dislike count on videos late last year. The decision was met with massive backlash, with users claiming that the like and dislike feature was necessary in helping scope out video’s worth watching, such as tutorials.
Recently, Youtube also trialled timestamping comments based on where in the video the commenter was when the posted.
The new feature would be useful in helping viewers identify what the general feedback and response to the video is, and how other users feel about the quality or content.
Currently the feature is unique to a small number of channels but may expand if feedback is positive.
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