Badri Sunderarajan
Aug 27, 2017 · 1 min read

I see what you mean.

Some time ago, GitHub added the ability to ‘react’ to a thread post rather than just replying (similar to what Facebook does now). The reason was so that people have a way to express their feelings without having to clutter the thread with multiple “thanks” and “me too” comments. There’s a clear — and sensible — difference between the two actions.

However, I still wonder if the ability to ‘react’ on Medium will make me less inclined to ‘respond’. Although the two are theoretically different, they still feel kind of the same.

If I saw a funny post on Facebook, I might have liked it and commented with a “Haha” or “Nice one”. On Medium, I would have given a slightly longer complement, and perhaps, since I had already started writing, gone on to describe a bit more about the phrase, how it resonated with me, or what it reminded me of.

But if I could react (as I now can on Facebook), then I may have just 😆’d and never got around to the comment at all. I’d feel I’d already reacted adequately, and wouldn’t have the inclination to go and start a response as well. Potential things would remain unsaid.

Of course, that’s all conjencture. I could be completely wrong. I’ll have to wait and see what actually happens — although, now that I’m conscious of it, that may not be so easy.

)

    Badri Sunderarajan

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    Books reader, Websites coder, Drawings maker. Things writer. Occasional astronomer. Alleged economist. Editor@Snipette.