"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."
"To explore the motivation and behavior of Facebook users when clicking the “Like” button, we analyzed the behaviors of 743 university student Facebook users using motivational theory and the theory of reasoned action. The main study findings were as follows: (a) hedonic motivation, utilitarian motivation, compliance motivation, conformity motivation, and affiliation motivation all had a positive impact on attitudes toward “Like”-clicking behaviors; (b) subjective norms and attitudes toward “Like”-clicking behaviors all had a positive impact on behavioral intention, and (c) behavioral intention had a positive impact on actual behaviors. These findings provide a valuable basis for constructing an explanatory model for “Like”-clicking behaviors of Facebook community platform users, as well as making significant practical contributions to enhance social and commercial benefits for businesses and individuals."
You can access the article via the UAlberta online catalogue and just search for the title of the article but here is the APA citation:
CHIH-YU, C., HSI-PENG, L., & CHAO-MING, W. (2015). FACEBOOK USERS' MOTIVATION FOR CLICKING THE "LIKE" BUTTON. Social Behavior & Personality: An International Journal, 43(4), 579-592. doi:10.2224/sbp.2015.43.4.579
Creating my Facebook entertainment page I have researched what similar pages are posting and what tools they utilize to increase viewership. As network theory posits, the more 'Likes' your page receives the more connections it is creating, growing logarithmically as the power function suggests.
ReplyDeleteAs an entertainment site, my goal is to create a node and as likes increase and the network continues to grow I'm confident it will eventually grow into a hub where like minded people will post and like creating clusters of links producing more networks.
As a fun interactive page, Catastrophe, will not be buying likes as suggested in How to Buy Friends and Influence People. That said, I can see why big business who have large budgets would find it attractive and comparatively affordable when you consider the exponential influence a 'Like' can bring.
One of the strategy's I'm employing for Catastrophe will be to employ the research into way to increase the number of likes with out having to purchase them. The journal article Antecedents of social presence and gratification of social connection need in Social Network Sites provides terrific insight into social network user motivation. Han, Min and Lee found that gratification of social connections needs plays an important role in sustained use and this presence in enforced by immediacy and intimacy related aspects of the communication. Therefore producing images and content that will re-enforce engender intimacy through laughter and immediacy of response to new posts will help build the number of 'Likes'.
If you want your site to be rewarded with a 'Like' you have to have insight into your viewer's motivation. According to researchers Chin and Lu, their study found " that if, concerning content posted on Facebook, the identity of the posters and the number of “Likes” triggered hedonic, utilitarian, compliance, conformity, and affiliation motivations in the users, there is a chance that motivation can be used to influence users’ attitudes in favour of clicking the “Like” button". The question will be if Facebook were to employ a 'dislike' button how would that alter those positive interactions. Would it become a repository for negative interactions and how will that effect your network?
References:
CHIH-YU, C., HSI-PENG, L., & CHAO-MING, W. (2015). FACEBOOK USERS' MOTIVATION FOR CLICKING THE "LIKE" BUTTON. Social Behavior & Personality: An International Journal, 43(4), 579-592. doi:10.2224/sbp.2015.43.4.579
Network Theory retrieved from: http://www.slideshare.net/ervler/an-introduction-to-network-theory
Han, S., Min, J., & Lee, H. (2015). Antecedents of social presence and gratification of social connection needs in SNS: A study of Twitter users and their mobile and non-mobile usage. International Journal Of Information Management, 35(4), 459-471. doi:10.1016/j.ijinfomgt.2015.04.004
Retrieved from http://www.wired.com/2013/04/buy-friends-on-facebook/
Creating my facebook entertainment page I have researched what similar pages are posting and what tools they utilize to increase viewership. As network theory posits, the more 'Likes' your page receives the more connections it is creating, growing logarithmically as the power function suggests.
ReplyDeleteAs an entertainment site, my goal is to create a node and as likes increase and the network continues to grow I'm confident it will eventually grow into a hub where like minded people will post and like creating clusters of links producing more networks.
As a fun interactive page, Catastrophe, will not be buying likes as suggested in How to Buy Friends and Influence People. That said, I can see why big business who have large budgets would find it attractive and comparatively affordable when you consider the exponential influence a 'Like' can bring.
One of the strategy's I'm employing for Catastrophe will be to employ the research into way to increase the number of likes with out having to purchase them. The journal article Antecedents of social presence and gratification of social connection need in Social Network Sites provides terrific insight into social network user motivation. Han, Min and Lee found that gratification of social connections needs plays an important role in sustained use and this presence in enforced by immediacy and intimacy related aspects of the communication. Therefore producing images and content that will re-enforce engender intimacy through laughter and immediacy of response to new posts will help build the number of 'Likes'.
If you want your site to be rewarded with a 'Like' you have to have insight into your viewer's motivation. According to researchers Chin and Lu, their study found " that if, concerning content posted on Facebook, the identity of the posters and the number of “Likes” triggered hedonic, utilitarian, compliance, conformity, and affiliation motivations in the users, there is a chance that motivation can be used to influence users’ attitudes in favour of clicking the “Like” button". The question will be if Facebook were to employ a 'dislike' button how would that alter those positive interactions. Would it become a repository for negative interactions and how will that effect your network?
References:
CHIH-YU, C., HSI-PENG, L., & CHAO-MING, W. (2015). FACEBOOK USERS' MOTIVATION FOR CLICKING THE "LIKE" BUTTON. Social Behavior & Personality: An International Journal, 43(4), 579-592. doi:10.2224/sbp.2015.43.4.579
Network Theory retrieved from: http://www.slideshare.net/ervler/an-introduction-to-network-theory
Han, S., Min, J., & Lee, H. (2015). Antecedents of social presence and gratification of social connection needs in SNS: A study of Twitter users and their mobile and non-mobile usage. International Journal Of Information Management, 35(4), 459-471. doi:10.1016/j.ijinfomgt.2015.04.004
Retrieved from http://www.wired.com/2013/04/buy-friends-on-facebook/
I understood the question to mean, how will current use of the "like" button change with the addition of a "dislike" button?
ReplyDeleteIf "people who claim to have positive experiences with a brand's content on Facebook pages have a greater likelihood of claiming to be more likely to do a social media action...a purchase funnel action...[and] an advocacy action", it is unlikely Facebook would employed a "dislike" button or a button with a negative connotation (Smith, 2013, p. 371). The PC magazine article alluded to more of a "sympathize" button for events that are unpleasant where one would like to show support without "liking" an event such as the death of a beloved pet (Smith, 2013).
As an example I'd like to use a "hugs" button. "Hugs" shows empathy without disliking. Having a "hugs" button would add another dimension to the dialogue. It could deepen engagement by increasing affiliation motivation. With the adoption of a "hugs" button hedonic motivation could be further segmented. It would be interesting to see if segmentation would heighten strong positive emotions. If so, marketers could further narrow their content strategy and potentially increase effectiveness.
Moscaritolo, A. (2015). Facebook Working on a Dislike Button (Sort Of). PC Magazine, Retrieved from http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2491334,00.asp
Smith, S. (2013). Conceptualising and Evaluating Experiences with Brands on Facebook. International Journal of Market Research, 55(3), 357-374.
I quite enjoy the notion of a 'hugs' option rather than a 'dislike' button! It's not only a more positive way of showing empathy, but can also reduce the use of the button for bullying!
DeleteI have often struggled with Facebook from a moral perspective, and have not had a facebook account in years as a result.
ReplyDeleteI created a new one (which I’m sure is flagged due to the obvious protest of facebook in my profile i.e. big brother is watching profile pic, dark net header and Hogwarts listed as my education and SHIELD as my ‘workplace’). One of the reasons I’ve encountered this ethical conundrum is a concern for the complacency through compliance it establishes as a social norm. The idea of compliance motivation, conformity motivation and affiliation motivation in this article just reconfirmed some of my prior ideas.
If these are the motivations for the use of Facebook, then I would caution individuals using it as it can be used as a tool for manipulation of thoughts, ideas, values and beliefs, and challenge your freedom of speech, thought and assembly. This thought may not be as far-fetched as you may think.
In 2014, Facebook conducted an experiment where the posts of 689,000 users’ posts were changed, which resulted in proving that “people can be made to feel more positive or negative through a process of ‘emotional contagion’” (Booth, 2014). This also aligns with the concepts of a ‘network’, in that “the important part [of a network] is that the components are not acting independently – they are affected by the components around them” (Findlay, 2010).
While this can probably be said of any social network, Facebooks addition of a ‘dislike’ button allows for increased conformity and affiliate motivations by enabling individuals to participate in positive emotions by ‘liking’ as well as negative emotions now with the ‘dislike’ option. While Zuckerberg says it is a way to ‘empathize’ according to the Washington post, I argue that it is a way to gain more information on the Facebook users, their emotions, and a tool that will enable a push of conformist values. How? If I were to publish this post, the majority of my ‘friends’ expressed their opinion through the dislike button, any one friend who would consider ‘liking’ the post would likely negate doing so due to the conformity motivation, affiliation motivation (or non-affiliation in this case), and compliance motivation. Is this the freedom of speech and thought in our Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms? Can we progress and experience innovation by inhibiting critical thought and promoting conformity and compliance? Does fear affect how we interact on Facebook, and is it okay?
Booth, R. (2014). Facebook reveals news feed experiment to control emotions. The Guardian. Retrieved from http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2014/jun/29/facebook-users-emotions-news-feeds
CHIH-YU, C., HSI-PENG, L., & CHAO-MING, W. (2015). FACEBOOK USERS' MOTIVATION FOR CLICKING THE "LIKE" BUTTON. Social Behavior & Personality: An International Journal, 43(4), 579-592. doi:10.2224/sbp.2015.43.4.579
Findlay, K. (2010). An introduction to network theory. Retrieved from http://www.slideshare.net/ervler/an-introduction-to-network-theory
I can completely relate to the concerns you have. A friend of mine established the "Nebraskans Against Gun Violence" Facebook page. In light of the Oregon shootings her page received over 100 likes. Because I am against gun violence I see this as a good thing, however subscription bias works both ways. Just as people against gun violence are mobilizing so to are those against any measure of reasonable gun restrictions. The posts she shares from her opponents to highlight the danger of such groups existing is frightening. It seems the States are arming people who are fearful of others who are different than themselves. Over the recent months it appears those groups are gaining momentum.
DeleteThe danger of hate groups forming is a reason for me to support staying away from Facebook, but the nice thing about Facebook is the ability to customize your experience. You have the option to exclusively use it to stay abreast of the news and current events which is something my fiance does, or it can be a great place to connect with others who end up supporting each other in times of need. A friend of mine lost his girlfriend this past weekend to a murder/suicide. He told me just this morning how nice and helpful it was to see the outpouring of support on Facebook.
There are benefits for sure, I acknowledge my conspiracy theorist side and personal bias. Many of the items I mentioned are not solely applicable to Facebook either, I must admit.
DeleteWhat do you think about the social experiment Facebook conducted though? Is this ethical? Would a 'dislike' button enable more of these experiments? Could the results of this experiment and others be used by the Government or Corporations to manipulate users' emotions? What about for specific events?
I appreciate your take on the personal aspect, and would love your perspective on the information control side as well Michelle!
Agreed Shari - I remember you raising your hand at Spring Institute to say "If you're an idiot in real life, you're an idiot on Facebook. If you're a jerk in real life, you're a jerk on Facebook" (that's a paraphrase) and I thought it was one of the best quotes of my education so far (haha). Though hiding behind a computer screen perhaps allows the user to be more bold, at the end of the day, our online persona is a reflection of our reality.
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ReplyDeleteI have heard of the idea of a "dislike" button floating around in the Facebook world for years, but never considered it be an actionable option. As Shari has expressed, the backlash and cyberbullying that would result is hard to fathom.
ReplyDeleteFrom a marketing perspective, the “like” button has provided a new dataset of information from which a company can better understand consumer engagement and reaction to the brand. The more “likes” a post receives, the more virality it receives, having a snow-ball effect as it frequents more and more user timelines. Chih-yu et al. (2015) writes, “Businesses may also be able to understand consumers’ point of view according to the number of “Likes” they receive on specific Facebook posts. This may, in turn, allow them to analyze and understand consumers’ attitudes and evaluations of products and services, their intention to buy these products and services, and their levels of brand acceptance" (p. 580). In the past, this type of intel was very difficult to gather. As a marketer, a “dislike” button would likely be a catch-22. It would give intel into what users respond negatively to online, and how to cater marketing accordingly.
This morning, I read this AdWeek article about a recent Victoria Secret ad that received backlash for its photoshopping (http://www.adweek.com/adfreak/victorias-secret-ignored-anger-over-photo-so-facebook-fan-fixed-it-nsfw-167483). The company has done little to respond to follower’s angry comments, but even without a “dislike” button, users have gotten their point across – they are unhappy with Victoria Secret's Ad Campaigns. From my perspective, the ability to comment on a post replaces the need to “dislike” a post. Sympathies, anger, and disgust can all be shared through words (and are already shared too readily). A dislike button would only add to some of the central problems that surround Facebook, specifically cyberbullying.
References:
Chih-Yu, C., His-Peng, L., & Chao-Ming, W. (2015). Facebook users’ motivation for clicking the “like” button. Social Behavior & personality: An International Journal, 43(4), 579-592.
Nudd, T. (2015, October 9). Victoria's Secret Ignored the Anger Over This Photo, So a Facebook Fan Fixed It. Retrieved October 9, 2015, from http://www.adweek.com/adfreak/victorias-secret-ignored-anger-over-photo-so-facebook-fan-fixed-it-nsfw-167483
Facebook must error on the side of caution with their intent to add a range of buttons to better represent the reader’s empathy. I am bouncing back and forth on the topic, evaluating the pros and cons.
ReplyDeleteCurrently, the like button functionality allows a user to show support for others posts, pictures, and comments, which all reinforce positive emotions. It creates social connections with others and can give an individual a sense of belonging to something. On the flip side, others argue it creates a false sense of reality, as others only see what you choose to post about yourself. You could be connected to someone or something that is not a true representation of that person. However, I am always surprised by what people choose to share on social media (i.e. those that choose to post about arguments they are having with significant others or friends, etc..). If users are given more options to represent and reflect themselves, reality could be more accurately reflected. With a dislike button, the doors to possible negative emotions are opened, leading to possible increases in shaming, cyber bulling, etc…. If people are willing to air their own personal dirty laundry, what will stop them from giving negative opinions or gaining up on others they don't agree with?
I found it interesting that media promoted these changes by focusing on the dislike button (a negative connotation) rather then using the accurate information of implementing a range on buttons. They focused on a negative element to get peoples attention and it worked. Most current research on social media and emotions focuses on the positive and very little has been done on the negative. Steve Smith’s (2013) study found that an individuals strong positive emotions lead to greater action. If you have a positive experience you are more likely to acknowledge it on social media, lean towards purchasing it, or advocate for the product. What would happen if one has strong negative emotions about a topic (I imagine people will be driven to act in the same way). How will individuals respond to the negativity?
References:
Chih-Yu, C., His-Peng, L., & Chao-Ming, W. (2015). Facebook users’ motivation for clicking the “like” button. Social Behavior & personality: An International Journal, 43(4), 579-592
Smith, S. (2013). Conceptualising and Evaluating Experiences with Brands on Facebook. International Journal of Market Research, 55(3), 357-374.