Students hold mixed opinions on recent Facebook sticker addition

October 29, 2013 — by Sherrilyn Ling and Minu Palaniappan

One of Facebook's latest features is sticker-messaging. In every chatbox is a selection tool in the lower-right hand corner that houses emoticons, animations and stickers of well-known characters.

With more than a billion users, Facebook is seeking to expand its offerings.

One of their latest features is sticker-messaging. In every chatbox is a selection tool in the lower-right hand corner that houses emoticons, animations and stickers of well-known characters.

For example, Facebook provides stickers of the “Despicable Me” characters and the notable minions that appear frequently in the movies. In addition, the site adds animations to the stickers; minions will bobble their head or characters will wag their fingers in disappointment.

Students have mixed opinions about these new stickers. While some find them as a charming and convenient addition to instant messaging, others see them as annoying and unnecessary.

Junior Samuel Breck likes them because they convey messages quickly.

“They give me a sense of joy knowing that I can express myself through visual representations,” Breck said.

Senior Jessica Pham agrees that the stickers are a pleasant way to make chatting with friends more exciting.

“It’s really cute, and makes the conversation more interesting in a way,” Pham said.

Junior Nadia Younes disagrees, calling them rip-off versions of emojis, which are emoticons and icons used in text messaging.

“I think Facebook is running out of things to update and making these ugly stickers,” Younes said.

For other students, such as junior Catherine Cheng, the stickers have become aggravating with overuse.

“They are rather bothersome when people spam you,” Cheng said. “It was fun at first but now I can’t stand them.”

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