Facebook Working on a Dislike Button (Sort Of)
Your wishes are about to come true, Facebook users: A dislike button is on the way. Or at least something like it.
"People have asked about the 'dislike' button for many years," Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg said during a live Q&A session Tuesday, according toThe Washington Post. "Today is a special day, because today is the day I can say we're working on it and shipping it."
The move is somewhat of an about-face for Facebook and its CEO, who in December said the social network had no plans for a dislike button because a virtual thumbs-down could be more harmful than helpful. But, today he admitted such a feature could be useful.
"Not every moment is a good moment," he said, according to the Post. "If you share something that's sad, like a refugee crisis that touches you or a family member passes away — it may not be comfortable to like that post."
But don't expect Facebook to turn into Reddit anytime soon. Zuckerberg reiterated previous statements that he doesn't want to create a voting system on Facebook, where posts are deemed good or bad. So, instead of a straight dislike button, Facebook is working on "something that allows you to express 'empathy' with 'more options,'" the Post reported.
"Perhaps this could mean not a single button but rather a range of possible responses that offer alternatives to the like without being its direct opposite," the newspaper speculated.
Rumors of such a feature date back to 2013, when word spread that Facebook toyed with the idea of adding a"sympathize" button to the social network, for when "like" doesn't quite apply.
For now, we'll just have to wait and see what Facebook ends up rolling out.
I find it interesting that they are discussing implementing a range of buttons so people can clearly state how they feel. I feel with more options presented, people will be less likely to use the feature. It won't just be a simple like and people could begin to critique your opinions. Couldn't we just use emoticons to express how we feel? Simplicity can be the key.
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