Facebook introduced ‘stickers’ – detailed illustrations with ‘personality’ – to its mobile apps in spring, and these colourful, expressive characters are now available in the browser-based desktop version.
Stickers can be added to private messages on Facebook as a visual aid. Going above and beyond the traditional emoticons (which are, of course, still available), these images are larger and depict a wide variety of scenes and emotions, helping users to express themselves without words.
For the most part, they’re just a bit of fun for users of Facebook’s instant-messaging service.
To add stickers to a message, all users have to do is click the smiley icon in message window, select the sticker pack they want, and then find an appropriate illustration.
By default, available sticker packs include Meep, a smiley in various emotional and physical states, and Pusheen, a grey cat who seems to get up to all sorts of antics.
Users can also visit the Sticker Store to add more characters to their collections, including a pack for Despicable Me 2.
There are likely going to be more movie tie-ins to follow and though all sticker packs are labelled as free for the time being, there’s every chance Facebook could decide to monetise this little add-on down the line.
