Facebook’s new “care” emoji launched as a way to show solidarity during the coronavirus outbreak. However, it seems it has quickly become a meme itself, and not always for the most admirable or caring of reasons.

Since the pandemic tool hold, tech companies have been doing what they can to make the time under lockdown a little easier. In some cases, this has resulted in big changes with companies rolling out new fact-checking or informative features, or by making premium features free for a limited time. In other cases, the changes have been more subtle, as was the case with Facebook’s new reactions.

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Facebook officially launched the new care emoji last month along with another vibrating heart reaction. At the time, the two were billed as a way for Facebook and WhatsApp users. respectively, to show their support for each other and everyone affected by the virus. However, since then, the heart-hugging emoji has seemingly taken on a life of its own with many taking to social media to showcase their own, sometimes different versions of caring.

How Social Media Responded To Heart-Hugging Emoji

While the new reactions were announced last month, it has taken some time for them to roll out to all users. Those on the web were expected to receive them first with mobile users requiring an update to the mobile application to arrive. Providing a user has updated their Facebook mobile app to the latest version, then they should have access to the reaction. Although that didn’t stop some highlighting how painful the wait was in the meantime.

Others, have taken a more direct approach by swapping out the heart for something they or others love. Turning the heart-hugging emoji into, well, an anything-you-like-hugging emoji, including all of the main characters from Netflix’s Sense8.

Then there are those who have opted to highlight the similarities between the care emoji and other characters from popular movies. For example, the uncanny resemblance with Uncle Fester in his fetching heart apron from Addams Family Values.

In fact, emoji-centric Jeremy Burge, has even picked up on the trend of late, and the love for the hug-anything emoji, and has also started a thread highlighting some of the most entertaining (and unusual) variations.

Of course, not all of the attention on the care emoji has been so meme-oriented. Many have simply taken to alternate social media services to highlight how much they like the new option.

Regardless of the reason why, what is clear is that Facebook’s new care emoji has touched plenty of people since it was released. So much in fact, that the Facebook heart-hugging emoji is now making its presence felt on plenty of other social networks as well.

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John Finn
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John Finn is a technology editor and writer for Screen Rant. John has been covering technology since 2014 and focuses on where tech meets the movie and TV industry. A Psychology graduate from England who now lives in the US, John previously worked in the aviation industry as an airline reviewer. You can find John on Twitter (@J_Finns) or contact directly at john [at] screenrant [dot] com.

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